Engaging and completing homework can support improved attainment, and time spent on homework appears to be particularly important for maths. However, socio-economically disadvantaged pupils can face greater barriers to completing homework, including limited access to suitable study space and support.
Schools can choose whether to offer homework clubs, and many do. However, there is little evidence about whether they improve pupil outcomes.
The scoping phase of this project explored whether it would be possible to address this evidence gap through an impact evaluation. Through surveys and automated analysis of school websites, it explored how homework club provision varies between schools to determine whether it would be possible to commission a full impact evaluation.
We know that pupils from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds can face greater barriers to completing homework at home. However, homework clubs require staff time and resources, and there is currently little robust evidence about whether they improve attainment, particularly for disadvantaged pupils.
We funded this study to establish whether it would be feasible to run an impact evaluation to build our understanding of whether homework clubs are an effective way for schools to use their resources to support pupils’ learning and narrow the attainment gap.
- Homework clubs appear to be a widely used strategy to support homework completion. Almost all schools who responded to the survey (177 out of 187) had some form of homework club. Homework clubs varied by when they are held, who staffs them, and whether staff provide active support or simply supervision.
- Four hours of homework club per week was the median duration for schools responding to the survey. This is in line with the median hours of homework set at Key Stage 3, but less than the median seven hours of homework set at Key Stage 4.
- Almost half of schools said they targeted their homework club to specific subjects, year groups, or pupils.
- Almost all homework clubs took place after school. Out of school commitments were perceived as a significant barrier to attendance at homework clubs, which may limit their accessibility to some pupils who need them.
- School invest substantial time in homework clubs. About half are also incurring additional staff costs.
- Given the prevalence of homework clubs as identified in the scoping phase, it wouldn’t be feasible to carry out a robust evaluation of their impact on maths attainment. However, more research is needed to inform leaders’ decisions about how best to support homework completion, particularly for disadvantaged pupils.
- The project also used a new method to collect information about homework clubs from school websites. However, the information available online did not always reflect the provision schools reported in the survey. Some schools that reported running homework clubs did not mention them on their websites, and fewer than half of survey respondents said they used their websites to encourage attendance. This meant that school websites alone could not provide a reliable picture of homework club provision.
These findings from the scoping phase confirm that almost all secondary schools in England provide homework clubs in some form. Because of this, it is not feasible to carry out a robust evaluation of their impact on maths attainment as it would be difficult to compare outcomes with schools that do not.