What is Independent Study?

At Les Varendes High School, learning that is undertaken beyond the confines of the timetable is known by the term ‘Independent Study’. These are activities and routines which enable all our students to develop a positive attitude to learning and to make progress in their subjects.

Independent Study enables progress, and we value it as an important part of our curriculum. Independent Study will inform our reporting on Attitude to Learning.  It will also aid teacher assessments of subject progress.

Independent Study is set differently amongst our departments within the school. Some prefer to set regular activities which harness and practise skills from the lesson.  Others require a more reflective approach without the need for constant practise.

Independent Study should be communicated via the school planner or through Google Classroom.  Students have the opportunity to work in our Independent Study room during the lunch hour and also in the ICT rooms.  Both are staffed during these times.

Independent Study is phased in over the first few weeks of Year 7.  From then on, students are provided with activities to complete.  They can record them in their planner.  An increasing number of teachers are now using Google Classroom to set activities.

We advise that students spread their homework out across the week so that they do a little and often rather than trying to cram it all into one evening. This is the best way to engage with retrieval-based activities that are designed to enhance long-term memory. 

We believe that homework is a crucial component of our students’ learning and it is a compulsory element of their education provision.

At Key Stage 3, students will be provided with a homework timetable that also includes guidance on the the nature of homework and how parents can support. All students have a Class Charts log-in and access to Google Classroom which are used to monitor and set homework.

Homework Expectations