§ Mr. Madelasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has completed his consultations on homework, which were proposed in the White Paper "Better Schools"; and if he will make a statement.
§ Sir Keith Joseph"Better Schools" defined homework as an important element of independent study, and one that is not necessarily carried out at home. It set out the Government's view that, appropriately set and marked, homework valuably reinforces work in the classroom; and that, as a consequence, every LEA and school should establish a policy for homework, to form part of its policy for the curriculum. Homework policies should relate to such matters as the amount, range and character of what should be expected in the primary and secondary phases at various ages and ability levels, the conditions which make for the effective use of homework, and the problems faced by pupils whose home environment may make study at home difficult. It was because the available evidence suggested that few LEAs and schools had formulated and implemented such policies that the DES issued a consultative paper on this subject in April last year.
I am grateful for the many thoughtful replies received from all sections of the education service and from other bodies with an interest in the subject. These revealed wide agreement about the importance of homework; about the need to ensure that it is a worthwhile activity, related to work in the classroom and to individual pupils' needs; 108W about the value of enlisting parental support for homework policies; and about the importance of policies which take account of disparities in the extent and nature of resources available to pupils outside the classroom. There was broad agreement with the objectives for homework suggested in the Department's consultative paper. In a few areas—notably on the place of homework in the primary phase—no common view emerged.
Her Majesty's Inspectorate is currently surveying good practice in schools in relation to homework. I hope that the results of this survey will be available in the Summer of 1986. In the light of Her Majesty's Inspectorate's findings, the Government will consider what further action is necessary in respect of this important aspect of the work of schools.