How Much Homework by Class? A Practical Homework Policy for Schools
Too much homework exhausts students; too little leaves parents worried. Here is what national guidance recommends by class, and how to write a policy that sticks.
Ask parents about homework and you will hear both complaints in the same week: "there is far too much" and "my child never seems to have any." Ask students and you will hear that three teachers set major assignments for the same night. The problem is rarely any single teacher. It is the lack of a shared, school-wide policy.
What the School Bag Policy 2020 recommends
The Ministry of Education’s School Bag Policy, 2020 includes guidance on homework time by stage. In summary:
| Classes | Recommended homework |
|---|---|
| Classes 1–2 | No homework |
| Classes 3–5 | A maximum of about 2 hours a week |
| Classes 6–8 | A maximum of about 1 hour a day |
| Classes 9–12 | A maximum of about 2 hours a day |
What good homework looks like
- Purposeful: practice of something taught in class, or preparation for the next lesson, not busywork.
- Doable alone: a student should be able to complete it without a parent teaching the topic again.
- Clear: the task, the expected length and the due date are written down, not just said at the end of the period.
- Checked: homework that is never looked at teaches students that it does not matter.
- Varied: reading, short practice, observation, a conversation at home, not only written exercises.
Five rules that make a homework policy work
1. Coordinate across subjects
Agree which subjects can set homework on which days for each class, or set a daily maximum for the class as a whole. This stops the "three projects due on the same Monday" problem.
2. Avoid homework over festivals and long holidays
Light reading is fine; large projects over Diwali or summer break mostly become parents’ projects.
3. Give at least two days for anything longer than one evening
Projects and assignments that need materials or help from home should be set well in advance.
4. Make it visible to parents
Parents should be able to see what was set and when it is due without relying on the child’s memory or a busy class WhatsApp group.
5. Give feedback, even briefly
A tick, a short comment or a quick voice note tells students their effort was seen. For longer assignments, specific feedback matters more than a mark.
A sample homework policy you can adapt
- No written homework for Classes 1 and 2; reading together at home is encouraged.
- Classes 3 to 5: up to 2 hours per week in total, spread across the week.
- Classes 6 to 8: up to 1 hour per day across all subjects.
- Classes 9 to 12: up to 2 hours per day across all subjects.
- No more than one major assignment due per class on any day.
- No major assignments due on the day after a festival or school event.
- All homework is posted where parents can see it, with a due date.
- Teachers check and acknowledge homework within a week.
How to roll it out
Discuss the draft with teachers first, so the subject timetable for homework is realistic. Share the final policy with parents at the start of the term, and review it after a few months with feedback from both.
In TriaCampus, teachers post homework once and it appears on the student and parent portals; students submit their work, and teachers grade it and handle extension requests. See all features or book a demo.