Lower Years Matters The academic aims of the King’s School are:

1 That every pupil fulfils his or her academic potential;

2 That teachers and pupils pursue excellence in teaching and learning;

3 That our pupils develop a love of learning, both individually and with others, and acquire a wide range of learning skills; and

Homework

Homework is set for three subjects each evening, and sometimes four are given at the weekends. In the first half of the Autumn Term only, Lower Fourth pupils will not be given homework on Fridays.

As a guide, your child ought to be spending about 20 minutes on each ‘set’ homework in the Lower Fourth, and about 25 minutes each in the Upper Fourth. If your son or daughter regularly takes longer than this to complete his or her homework, please contact the Form Tutor. Do not allow your child to work for too long if he or she is struggling. However, a child who develops a keen interest should not be discouraged from spending longer on his or her work.

We ask for homework to be completed at home, or in the School Library after 3.40 pm or Homework Club. Breaks are times when we think it important for young people to relax or attend music rehearsals or some of our many clubs and societies, rather than work.

From time to time some pupils become disorganised and fail to work adequately on their own. Usually, pupils will be required to redo an unsatisfactory piece of work. If you are anxious about any aspect of your child’s progress at school, you should contact the Form Tutor, who will support and guide you with the next steps.

4 That we create an environment in which pupils are confident in their ability and increasingly ready to take responsibility for their own learning.

We aim to offer a curriculum that supports these academic aims. It is also our aim that our curriculum is intellectually challenging and offers cultural, spiritual and physical development which will prepare our pupils successfully for their future beyond school.

Rewards and Praise

Offering rewards and praise is one of the fundamental ways in which we encourage a sense of belonging, community and ownership. We care about embedding intrinsic motivation in all of our pupils and actively encourage them always to try their very best.

A range of different rewards are applied over the year by teachers for outstanding behaviour, effort and academic achievement. They are accessible to all pupils and are given out in many areas of school life.

When a pupil produces a good piece of work in relation to his or her abilities, Merits are given to reward this effort. Headmaster’s Commendations are given for exceptional pieces of work or for sustained quality in work. Postcards home and other direct contact with parents also recognises outstanding effort or achievement. Form Prizes are awarded at the end of each academic year. They may be for academic excellence, industry, improvement during the year or a combination of these.

We also actively celebrate pupil success via the school news on our website, in our weekly e-newsletter and on social media.