What we changed about homework, and what happened next

Two years ago the middle school staff room agreed on something uncomfortable: most of the homework we set was busywork. We halved it for Grades 6 to 8 and replaced the rest with reading and one long-form task a fortnight.

Reading logs went up. Marks in English rose slightly. Maths held steady for two terms and then dipped for the cohort that had been relying on daily drill — so we brought back short, spaced practice sheets in maths only, twice a week. That combination has held for four terms now.

The honest summary: less homework helped in most subjects, hurt in one, and only worked once we stopped pretending every subject is the same.