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How to Write the Perfect Homework Policy

Author: Naimish Gohil

Posted: 10 May 2017

Estimated time to read: 4 mins

Homework is an integral part to the learning process and as such, each school should have a clear homework policy readily available to teachers, students and parents that sets out your expectations when it comes to home-learning .

how to write the perfect homework policy

A clear and effective homework policy will mean that quality and quantity of homework can be easily tracked and all stakeholders are on the same page. We've created our own Homework Policy that you can adapt for use in your school or use as an outline when creating your own policy:

1‭. ‬Introduction

This is the school’s policy for the provision of homework to pupils and has been drawn up in accordance with guidance from the DFE and Sutton Education Trust‭.‬ It must be recognised that parents play a vital role in the education of their child‭, ‬therefore it is important and valuable to‭ ‬have a good home-school partnership‭, ‬of which a homework policy must address‭.‬

2‭. ‬Homework‭ - ‬A definition

Homework is defined as any work or activity that students are asked to undertake outside of lesson time‭, ‬either on their own or‭ ‬with the aid of parents and carers‭. ‬Homework doesn’t necessarily have to be completed at home but can be completed in free periods and after-school homework clubs‭. ‬We see work completed outside of lesson time as a valuable part of a student’s learning‭.‬

3‭. ‬The purpose of homework‭ ‬

The school regards the purpose of homework as being to‭:‬

‭ Provide learners with the opportunity to work on an activity that is relevant to learning outcomes‭, ‬or that contributes to gaining qualifications/accreditations‭.‬
Develop an effective partnership between the school‭, ‬parents and carers in pursuing the academic aims of the school and the development of their child‭.‬
Consolidate and reinforce skills and understanding prior to the following lesson‭, ‬particularly in English and Mathematics‭.‬
Extend learning across the curriculum‭, ‬for example through additional reading‭.‬
Encourage pupils as they get older to develop the confidence‭, ‬self-discipline and independence to develop organisational skills‭.‬

As a school‭, ‬we encourage children to pursue out-of-school activities‭. ‬Homework should be used to effectively reinforce and/or extend what is learned in school‭. ‬We hope that children will feel a sense of personal satisfaction in a task completed well and that their efforts will be recognised and praised both at home and at school‭. ‬

Homework tasks should be undertaken to the best of‭ ‬their ability‭. ‬We hope that parents and carers will be willing and able to give their active support to ensure that work completed at home is done so conscientiously and in the best possible conditions‭.‬

4‭. ‬Current practice‭ ‬

At the beginning of the academic year‭, ‬each year group will be informed about what is expected of them with regards to homework‭.‬

5‭. ‬Time to be spent completing homework

Based on current good practice‭, ‬we ask pupils to spend the following amount of time on homework‭:‬

Years 7‭ ‬to 9‭: ‬1‭ - ‬2‭ ‬hours per day

Years 10‭ ‬&‭ ‬11‭: ‬1‭ - ‬3‭ ‬hours per day‭ ‬

Pupils may be expected to undertake a variety of homework activities‭. ‬These activities will differ depending on the teacher and‭ ‬subject‭. ‬Examples include‭: ‬Reading tasks‭, ‬numeracy tests‭, ‬spelling tests‭, ‬quizzes‭, ‬project work‭, ‬classwork extensions‭, ‬coursework‭, ‬essays and research activities‭.‬ As a general rule‭, ‬teachers will not usually set substantial homework tasks to be completed for the next day‭, ‬pupils will have at least two days to complete any work set‭.‬

6‭. ‬Pupil feedback

The school recognises the importance of providing prompt and actionable feedback to pupils‭, ‬parents and carers‭. ‬Feedback will include how well homework tasks have been tackled‭, ‬and the knowledge‭, ‬skills and understanding developed‭.

‬A variety of methods will be used to provide feedback‭, ‬such as an appropriate comment of praise‭, ‬appreciation or area for improvement‭. ‬Any given feedback will vary according to the age of the pupil‭.‬

7‭. ‬Where to access the school homework policy

The school will use newsletters to inform parents and carers about the school’s homework policy and secure their involvement‭. ‬The homework policy‭, ‬as well as useful information for parents in supporting their child’s learning‭, ‬is displayed on the school website‭. ‬

Parents’‭ ‬Evenings and New Intake Evenings will be used to promote this partnership and obtain feedback‭ (‬e.g‭. ‬English and Mathematics workshops‭). ‬Homework questionnaires will be used where appropriate to ascertain parent views‭. ‬Parents will be consulted about any significant changes to the policy that are being considered by the governing body‭.‬

8‭. ‬Reviewing the policy

The homework policy will be reviewed every year‭. ‬Where significant changes to the policy are felt to be required‭, ‬proposals will‭ ‬be presented to the governing body and parents consulted‭.‬

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Getting students to work on their homework assignments is not always a simple task. Teachers need to take the initiative to create homework policies that encourage students to work hard to improve their achievement in the classroom setting. Educational leadership starts with making a policy that helps students learn and achieve while competing with extracurricular activities and the interests of students.

Set high standards

Homework policies need to have high standards to encourage students to work hard on achieving the best possible results. Student achievement in school improves when teachers set high standards and tell students that they are expected to meet the standards set in the classroom.

By setting high standards for the homework policy, teachers are ensuring that the students will be more willing to work on getting assignments done. The policies for homework that teachers and parents create can help improve student understanding of materials and result in better grades and scores on standardized tests.

Focus on study skills

Teaching students in their early education is a complicated task. Teachers need to balance the age of the students with the expected school, state and federal educational standards. Although the temptation to create a homework policy that focuses on repetition and traditional assignments can make the policy easy to create, it also removes the focus from establishing strong study skills and habits to engage students in education.

Creating a homework policy for younger students in the elementary grades should avoid traditional assignments and focus on building study skills and encouraging learning. Older students after elementary school are ready to take on written assignments rather than using technology and other tools.

Putting more focus on study skills will set a stronger foundation for homework in the future. As students get into higher grades, the type of assignments will focus on writing with a pen or pencil. The age of the student must be considered and the goal is to create a strong foundation for the future.

Involve the parents

Getting parents involved in the homework policy will encourage students to study and complete the assigned tasks. Asking parents to get involved to facilitate assignments will ensure students are learning without the parents completing the assignment for their child.

The goal of involving the parents in the homework policy is getting the family to take an interest in ensuring the assignments are completed. The best assignments will allow the student to manage the work without seeking answers from a parent. That allows parents to supervise and encourage their child without giving the answers.

Give consequences for incomplete assignments

Homework is an important part of providing educational leadership in the classroom. Although parental involvement and high standards can help encourage students to study, it is also important to clearly state the consequences if assignments are incomplete or not turned in on time.

A clear homework policy will lay out the possible consequences of avoiding assignments or turning in incomplete work. Consequences can vary based on the student grade level and age, but can include lowering the grades on a report card or taking away classroom privileges.

Although it is important to provide details about the consequences of avoiding the assignments, teachers can also use a reward system to motivate students to complete their work. Rewards can focus on the entire class or on individual rewards, depending on the situation. For example, teachers can give a small candy when students complete five assignments in a row.

Consequences and rewards can serve as a motivating factor when it comes to the homework policy. By clearly stating the potential downsides and the benefits to the student, it is easier for students to focus on the work.

Creating homework policies is part of educational leadership in the classroom. Although homework must focus on helping students achieve, it also needs to clearly state the expectations and give details about the benefits and consequences of different actions. By giving a clear policy from the first day of school, the students will know what to expect and can gain motivation to work on achieving the best results.

Homework Policy

We’re all aware of how students dread homework. They don’t like the idea of doing schoolwork at home after spending a whole day in school. We know how that feels. We’ve all been there during our elementary , high school , and college years. Although laziness is among the reasons, there are credible justifications for why students hate homework. That’s why some schools have imposed policies to regulate homework. Too much homework can be counterproductive. So as a school admin, if you see that your teachers are overworking students with homework, make your move to control it. You can start by downloading our Homework Policy Examples !

10+ Homework Policy Examples

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2. Middle School Homework Policy

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10. High School Homework Policy Example

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11. Kindergarten Homework Policy

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What Is a Homework Policy?

A school homework policy is a set of guidelines on how often teachers should give homework or what type of homework they should give. Its main function is to protect students from being overworked and ensure that their homework is beneficial to their learning .

Homework policies are an important aspect of classroom management . It’s crucial not to drown students with school work. They need time to breathe from doing study activities . Other than that, some teachers might be giving homework that contributes nothing to their studies. Homeworks that are irrelevant only serves to waste the students’ time and energy. But with a homework policy elementary school, high school, or college, that won’t happen.

The Purpose of Homework in Schools

At the start of this blog, we’ve been shedding a bad light on homework inadvertently. Giving a home assignment to a student has some benefits. After all, homework wouldn’t exist in the first place if it doesn’t have a real purpose.

One purpose of homework is to push students to immerse themselves more with their studies. That helps them to absorb what they’ve learned during classes more effectively. It keeps their learning process consistent outside of the classroom . And also, homework teaches students to be responsible and professional, especially when it comes to meeting deadlines.

Another function of homework is that it can be a way for parents to be more involved in their children’s education. They can monitor what lessons their kids are studying by seeing what sort of schoolwork they’re doing at home.

How to Create a Homework Policy

Among the first steps you must take to protect students from too much and irrelevant homework is creating a homework policy. To get you started, we’ll show you our short 4-step guide below.

Step 1: Conduct a Survey

In general, conducting a survey is the first step in formulating policies. In this case, you need to survey the students regarding their homework duties. Your survey form must ask the right questions, such as how homework affects them mentally and how useful it is in the lesson plan . Find out how functional the students’ homework is to see its pros and cons.

Step 2: Communicate with Faculty

Imposing a homework policy is a drastic change in your school’s teaching process. That said, you should communicate about it with your faculty staff . Based on the findings of your survey, let your teachers know what specific regulations you’ll impose in terms of giving homework. You may also ask if they have suggestions or objections about your proposed policy . If there are, you can make some adjustments if you see them fit.

Step 3: Write Down the Regulations

After you make adjustments and finalize everything, write the homework regulations in a document or memo . Make sure to explain each of them in detail. Justify how each regulation is helpful for the students’ learning and well being. For instance, if one regulation is a No Homework on Fridays, you can justify it by saying students need the weekends to spend more time with friends and family. And that it gives them a chance to refresh their minds from school pressure.

Step 4: Add the Homework Policy to the Student and Teacher Handbook

To make the homework policy an official school policy, integrate it into the teacher and student handbook. In doing so, both faculty and students will be more aware of it. That way, the homework policy will slowly but surely become a norm in your school. The teachers, especially, will follow it strictly.

What is the 10-minute rule in homework?

The 10-minute homework rule, as its name implies, suggests that teachers should only give homework that students can finish in under 10 minutes. However, this rule mostly only applies to first graders.

What type of homework is considered meaningful?

The type of homework that’s meaningful are those that are in-line with the curriculum and beneficial to the learning process. Meaningful homework complements the lesson plan significantly. And they’re doable depending on the students’ current level of capability. A homework that adds nothing to the students’ progress is merely a to-do task .

Is it too much to give two hours of homework?

According to the Stanford Graduate School of Education , beyond two hours of homework is too much. Having more than two hours of homework to do has three negative effects on students. These are:

Increase in stress levels, affecting productivity
Health risks, such as sleep deprivation, severe weight loss, and exhaustion
Less time with friends and family, which can lead to depression and neglect of schoolwork

Homework is an integral part of your school’s teaching methods. It is an extension of your school’s guidance for the students outside the classroom. But there have to be limitations. So start making a homework policy now. And don’t forget to download our Homework Policy Template.

Policy Generator

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Homework policy: examples

See examples of homework policies from primary, secondary and special schools to help you write your own. also, adapt our sample clause for handling the impact of ai tools on homework., primary school, secondary school, special school, multi-academy trust, sample ai clause.

Shadwell Primary School in Leeds has a homework policy that covers:

When pupils take books home for reading
How long they should spend reading at home
English and maths homework
Spelling and times tables expectations
Additional half-termly homework tasks, such as a learning log and key instant recall facts
Instances when pupils may receive additional homework
How homework will be recorded
Rewards and sanctions

Chelmsford County High School for Girls in Essex has a school-wide homework policy setting out:

The importance of homework
Types of homework that could be set
How much time different year groups should spend on homework

North Ridge High School in Manchester has a homework policy that explains:

How homework may differ in form, expectations and outcomes
How long the school recommends pupils spend on homework
The roles of the class teacher, leadership team and governing board, and parents and carers
The homework that different Key Stages and learners will get
Marking, feedback and pupil absence

The policy also includes a homework timetable.

STEP Academy Trust has homework policies set for its schools that are agreed by the board of trustees. Each policy has been adapted slightly for each school.

To find the homework policies , scroll down in the 'Policy' search box in the top-right corner, and select 'STEP homework policy' – you'll see a list with links to homework policies for each of the trust's schools.

The DfE has advised that you may wish to review your homework policy to consider the impact of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools (such as ChatGPT and Google Bard) on homework and unsupervised work.

Adapt our example text below to suit your school's context and approach to AI.

Primary schools

Secondary schools.

We're working on some practical guidance to help you get to grips with AI - select 'save for later' in the top right-hand corner of this page to be updated when it's ready.

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Articles / Homework

The Do’s and Don’ts of Good Homework Policy

by Cheryl Mizerny · Published 10/24/2016 · Updated 11/20/2019

A MiddleWeb Blog

At the time, I could not exactly relate to him because I was one of the kids who knew how to “do” school well and actually enjoyed it. I also did little homework at home because I was also one of those kids who broke the rules and generally did homework assignments during class while the teacher was instructing.

All that changed after the publication of “A Nation At Risk” – when our schools began to be seen as failing and the homework levels increased. Then I empathized with the boy in that candy bar commercial.

Homework has been the most hated part of school for decades, and that’s not going to change. However, public perception of the efficacy of homework is cyclical – with each cycle reshaping homework policies and practices in our classrooms. That’s something we can change.

Some of the history behind homework

In the 1940s, when the country was dealing with more important issues, homework was seen as a redundant waste of time. After Sputnik, it was the way we would beat the Russians to the moon. The resulting backlash (post-moon landing) led to my elementary school years in the blissful 1970s when more problem solving, hands-on learning was emphasized.

After the dire “A Nation At Risk” warnings, the emphasis was on drill and kill in the 80s and 90s. This prepared the way for the piling on of homework as supplemental test prep after the passage of No Child Left Behind in the early 2000s and its even greater emphasis on rote learning.

We are now seeing the detrimental effects of this overtaxing of our children in the form of anxiety, attention issues, and increased family stress. The result is a lot of necessary conversation around the topic of the value of homework.

The homework domino effect

We recently had the homework discussion at my school, after listening to feedback from parents. One of the conclusions we reached: many of my colleagues would love to give less homework, but they feel that they would be doing a disservice to the students by not sufficiently preparing them for the next level of their education (HS), which gives significantly more homework.

Sidebar: This, in my opinion, is a major problem in education today—we don’t allow children to be the age they are and push them too far too fast with developmentally inappropriate practices.

The high school feels the pressure to give excessive homework to enable students to pass the Advanced Placement tests and to do well on college entrance exams. Universities see students who are “unprepared” to do the critical thinking necessary to be successful because, sadly, they were given too much rote work at the high school level and below. The effects of all these conflicting goals roll downhill to educators at the middle and elementary school levels.

Homework teaches compliance, not responsibility

Although I am thrilled with the recent trend in elementary schools (which tend to be the most progressive level of education) – eliminating homework in response to research – I don’t see this moving up through the grade levels any time soon.

Therefore, I am continuing to follow my gut on this issue and do what I think is right for my students. I’ve always been an educator who believes in family time and have never given homework on weekends or over holidays, but I am also very mindful of work I give on weeknights.

I was in a recent Twitter chat with other middle school educators about the topic of homework. There was a clear division among the teachers on the question of whether homework teaches time management and responsibility.

Giving two or more hours of homework after they have already spent seven hours sitting and absorbing feels like making children clock in for a second shift. I worked two jobs during college and was miserable, exhausted, and didn’t enjoy my classes as much as I should have. I see the same in my students.

I also feel that if teaching time in school is used effectively, not much homework needs to be given. When I do give homework, I make every effort to make it engaging, meaningful, and brief.

Applying what I’ve learned about motivation

During my time as a special education teacher, I had no control over the assignments my students were given by other teachers. In those years, I witnessed a lot of ineffective teaching – and some that was sheer brilliance.

When I began teaching English in 2008, I wanted to be more like the excellent teachers I’d known. I never wanted my classes to feel like a “sit and get” experience that students must somehow survive.

I began my quest to make all of my classwork, and resulting homework, motivating and useful to my students. This included an intense study of motivation while obtaining my graduate degree in Education Psychology.

As luck would have it, much of what I learned in my graduate courses was summed up brilliantly in Daniel Pink’s groundbreaking book, Drive , which arrived on the scene during my first year teaching English (and was neatly summarized in an early example of the animated YouTube lecture).

In Drive , Pink presents a three-part test for homework:

Am I offering my students autonomy over how and when to do this work?
Does this assignment promote mastery by offering a novel, engaging task (as opposed to rote reformulation of something already covered in class)?
Do my students understand the purpose of the assignment? That is, can they see how doing this additional activity at home contributes to the larger enterprise in which the class is engaged?

I have used these guiding principles for all work I give in class as well as for home. As Pink says, “With a little thought and effort, we can turn home work into home learning .”

One of my other touchstone middle school teaching texts is the classic Day One and Beyond by Rick Wormeli . In it, he says, “Homework given to keep students busy regardless of whether it clarifies, reinforces, or prepares students is irresponsible.” I wholeheartedly agree.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Positive Homework

Through all of my research, and from trial and error in my own class, I have determined my own set of “rules.” Following practices like these can assure we have a positive homework policy in place.

I do not use homework to introduce a new concept. If students are learning the concept on their own, then they are teaching themselves and what is my role? What’s more, muddling their way through unconnected information may frustrate more than enlighten.

I make sure that the homework I assign is never too difficult for my students to do without assistance. Just because it’s homework does not mean that it is family work. I much prefer my students discuss what they learned in school with their parents rather than battle over something none of them may fully understand. Tears and arguments over homework are not the hallmarks of rigorous thought.
I don’t grade homework for correctness. Often I will give a few points for completing homework, but homework never counts for more than 10% of the final grade in my class (thank you, Rick Wormeli). If it is intended to be practice of what they are learning, then it is unethical to mark students down for errors.
I feel that “No Homework” passes send the wrong message that homework is unnecessary and can be skipped. I would much prefer accepting homework late than chastising a student who did not have their work finished on time.
I don’t assign homework as students are ready to walk out the door during the last few minutes of class. When there is going to be some homework, I want them to begin it in class so that I can help answer any questions or clarify directions.
Students are more likely to complete assignments if they have an audience. Much of the work done in my class is shared and/or displayed.
Our school uses a common calendar for each grade so that students don’t have more than two quizzes, tests, or projects due on any given day and also not after a large evening school event.
For anything more complex than just finishing a small amount of what they started in class, I give more than one day for assignments to be completed so students may parse their time as needed.

My homework assignments are a deeper dive into the topic we study and always reach at least the application of the knowledge, not memorization. To the greatest extent possible, I allow students to choose how the work is completed and encourage creativity.
I reduce homework by using my class time as effectively as possible. If there is vocabulary they need to know, for example, we work with it often and in many different ways in order to cement the information in their brains. I don’t use the rote memorization of vocabulary as homework because then it is in and out of their brains quickly.
My homework is always developmentally appropriate. For middle school students, this means taking advantage of their desire to still have fun and see the absurd side of life, while simultaneously using their critical thinking skills. It is also work they are able to complete independently.
I do not assign homework that necessitates the gathering of numerous, expensive materials or the use of resources (especially electronic) that they may not have. I am mindful that the only level playing field is my classroom.

In my ideal world, there would not be homework unless it was student chosen, developed, and executed. Until I live in that world, I do what I believe is right for my students. I don’t want to be the teacher that causes them to totally stress out and learn to dread school.

4 Responses

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Please leave your thoughts about homework policies here in the Comments section!

I agree with the homework dos and don’ts. Less is more and should make sense and be purposeful with the whys discussed before the assignment. Different due dates for things like journals based on when the students want it due (depending on their at-home and afterschool schedules) is also useful. This does teach them to take responsibility for their decisions.

Our school has a no homework policy. It’s not really a policy per se, but if a parent complains that there is no homework provided, the principal will support the teacher in response to the parent and cite research that homework does not increase proficiency in a skill and the kids need/deserve down time or time to be outside. That being said, there is always research to contradict other research out there .

I do believe the homework should be available to students.

I like your idea about it being developmentally appropriate, fostering independence and creativity, etc. but what are the specifics? What structures, routines and procedures do you implement in you class that support a homework policy for reading and writing?

Thank you for an informative article that speaks right to the heart of this Special Education Middle School teacher. I agree with you that the only level playing field is right here in our presence where we can create community and autonomy if we do so intentionally.

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The power of a good homework policy

Published 18th March 2019 by Frog Education

With the homework debate continuing to rage and be fuelled by all parties involved, could publishing a robust homework policy help take some of the headache out of home learning?

What is a homework policy.

The idea of a homework policy is for the school to officially document and communicate their process for homework. The policy should outline what is expected of teachers when setting homework and from students in completing home learning tasks. It is a constructive document through which the school can communicate to parents, teachers, governors and students the learning objectives for homework.

Do schools have to have a homework policy?

It is a common misconception that schools are required by the government to set homework. Historically the government provided guidelines on the amount of time students should spend on home learning. This was withdrawn in 2012 and autonomy was handed to headteachers and school leaders to determine what and how much homework is set. Therefore, schools are not required by Ofsted or the DfE to have a homework policy in place.

The removal of official guidelines, however, does not give pupils the freedom to decide if they complete homework or not. Damian Hinds , Education Secretary, clarified that although schools are not obliged to set homework, when they do, children need to complete it in line with their school’s homework policy; “we trust individual school head teachers to decide what their policy on homework will be, and what happens if pupils don’t do what’s set.”

The majority of primary and secondary schools do set homework. Regardless of the different views on the topic, the schools that do incorporate homework into their learning processes, must see value in it.

Clearly communicating that value will demonstrate clarity and create alliance for everyone involved – both in and outside of school. This is where the publication of a good homework policy can help. 5 Benefits of publishing a good homework policy

#1 Manages students' workload

Studies have shown a correlation between student anxiety and demanding amounts of homework. One study found that in more affluent areas, school children are spending three hours per evening on homework. This is excessive. Secondary school students’ study between eight and ten subjects, which means they will have day-to-day contact with a number of teachers. If there is no clear homework policy to provide a guide, it would be feasible for an excessive amount of homework to be set.

A homework policy that sets out the expected amount of time students should spend on homework will help prevent an overload. This makes it more realistic for children to complete homework tasks and minimise the detrimental effect it could have on family time, out-of-school activities or students’ overall health and well-being.

#2 Creates opportunity for feedback and review

The simple act of having an official document in place will instigate opportunities for regular reviews. We often consider the impact of homework on students but teachers are also working out-of-hours and often work overtime . One reason is the need to set quality homework tasks, mark them and provide valuable feedback. No-one, therefore, wants home learning to become about setting homework for homework’s sake.

A regular review of the policy will invite feedback which the school can use to make appropriate changes and ensure the policy is working for both teachers and students, and serves the school’s homework learning objectives.

#3 Connects parents with education

Parents’ engagement in children’s education has a beneficial impact on a child’s success in school. Homework provides a great way for parents to become involved and have visibility of learning topics, offer support where needed and understand their child’s progress.

A good homework policy creates transparency for parents. It helps them to understand the value the school places on homework and what the learning objectives are. If parents understand this, it will help set a foundation for them to be engaged in their child’s education.

#4 Gives students a routine and creates good habits

Whether children are going into the workplace or furthering their education at university, many aspects of a student’s future life will require, at times, work to be completed outside of traditional 9-5 hours as well as independently. This is expected at university (students do not research and write essays in the lecture theatre or their seminars) and will perhaps become more important in the future workplace with the growth of the gig economy (freelancing) and the rise of remote working .

A homework policy encourages a consistency for out-of-school learning and helps students develop productive working practices and habits for continued learning and independent working.

#5 Helps students retain information they have learned

A carefully considered and well-constructed home learning policy will help teachers set homework that is most effective for reinforcing what has been taught.

A good homework policy will indicate how to set productive homework tasks and should limit the risk of less effective homework being set, such as just finishing-off work from a lesson and repetition or memorisation tasks. What makes a good homework policy?

A good homework policy will determine how much homework is appropriate and what type is most effective for achieving a school’s learning objectives. Publishing the homework policy – although it might not unify everyone’s views on the matter – fosters good communication across the school, sets out expectations for teachers and pupils, and makes that significant connection between parents and their children’s education. But most importantly, if the policy is regularly reviewed and evaluated, it can ensure home learning remains beneficial to pupils’ progress, is of value to teachers and, ultimately, is worth the time and effort that everyone puts into it.

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Smart Classroom Management

A Simple, Effective Homework Plan For Teachers: Part 1

So for the next two weeks I’m going to outline a homework plan–four strategies this week, four the next–aimed at making homework a simple yet effective process.

Let’s get started.

Homework Strategies 1-4

The key to homework success is to eliminate all the obstacles—and excuses—that get in the way of students getting it done.

Add leverage and some delicately placed peer pressure to the mix, and not getting homework back from every student will be a rare occurrence.

Here is how to do it.

1. Assign what students already know.

Most teachers struggle with homework because they misunderstand the narrow purpose of homework, which is to practice what has already been learned. Meaning, you should only assign homework your students fully understand and are able to do by themselves.

Therefore, the skills needed to complete the evening’s homework must be thoroughly taught during the school day. If your students can’t prove to you that they’re able to do the work without assistance, then you shouldn’t assign it.

It isn’t fair to your students—or their parents—to have to sit at the dinner table trying to figure out what you should have taught them during the day.

2. Don’t involve parents.

Homework is an agreement between you and your students. Parents shouldn’t be involved. If parents want to sit with their child while he or she does the homework, great. But it shouldn’t be an expectation or a requirement of them. Otherwise, you hand students a ready-made excuse for not doing it.

You should tell parents at back-to-school night, “I got it covered. If ever your child doesn’t understand the homework, it’s on me. Just send me a note and I’ll take care of it.”

Holding yourself accountable is not only a reminder that your lessons need to be spot on, but parents will love you for it and be more likely to make sure homework gets done every night. And for negligent parents? It’s best for their children in particular to make homework a teacher/student-only agreement.

3. Review and then ask one important question.

Set aside a few minutes before the end of the school day to review the assigned homework. Have your students pull out the work, allow them to ask final clarifying questions, and have them check to make sure they have the materials they need.

And then ask one important question: “Is there anyone, for any reason, who will not be able to turn in their homework in the morning? I want to know now rather than find out about it in the morning.”

There are two reasons for this question.

First, the more leverage you have with students, and the more they admire and respect you , the more they’ll hate disappointing you. This alone can be a powerful incentive for students to complete homework.

Second, it’s important to eliminate every excuse so that the only answer students can give for not doing it is that they just didn’t care. This sets up the confrontation strategy you’ll be using the next morning.

4. Confront students on the spot.

One of your key routines should be entering the classroom in the morning.

As part of this routine, ask your students to place their homework in the top left-hand (or right-hand) corner of their desk before beginning a daily independent assignment—reading, bellwork , whatever it may be.

During the next five to ten minutes, walk around the room and check homework–don’t collect it. Have a copy of the answers (if applicable) with you and glance at every assignment.

You don’t have to check every answer or read every portion of the assignment. Just enough to know that it was completed as expected. If it’s math, I like to pick out three or four problems that represent the main thrust of the lesson from the day before.

It should take just seconds to check most students.

Remember, homework is the practice of something they already know how to do. Therefore, you shouldn’t find more than a small percentage of wrong answers–if any. If you see more than this, then you know your lesson was less than effective, and you’ll have to reteach

If you find an assignment that is incomplete or not completed at all, confront that student on the spot .

Call them on it.

The day before, you presented a first-class lesson and gave your students every opportunity to buzz through their homework confidently that evening. You did your part, but they didn’t do theirs. It’s an affront to the excellence you strive for as a class, and you deserve an explanation.

It doesn’t matter what he or she says in response to your pointed questions, and there is no reason to humiliate or give the student the third degree. What is important is that you make your students accountable to you, to themselves, and to their classmates.

A gentle explanation of why they don’t have their homework is a strong motivator for even the most jaded students to get their homework completed.

The personal leverage you carry–that critical trusting rapport you have with your students–combined with the always lurking peer pressure is a powerful force. Not using it is like teaching with your hands tied behind your back.

Homework Strategies 5-8

Next week we’ll cover the final four homework strategies . They’re critical to getting homework back every day in a way that is painless for you and meaningful for your students.

I hope you’ll tune in.

If you haven’t done so already, please join us. It’s free! Click here and begin receiving classroom management articles like this one in your email box every week.

21 thoughts on “A Simple, Effective Homework Plan For Teachers: Part 1”

Good stuff, Michael. A lot of teachers I train and coach are surprised (and skeptical) at first when I make the same point you make about NOT involving parents. But it’s right on based on my experience as a teacher, instructional coach, and administrator the past 17 years. More important, it’s validated by Martin Haberman’s 40 years of research on what separates “star” teachers from “quitter/failure” teachers ( http://www.habermanfoundation.org/Book.aspx?sm=c1 )

I love the articles about “homework”. in the past I feel that it is difficuty for collecting homework. I will try your plan next year.

I think you’ll be happy with it, Sendy!

How do you confront students who do not have their homework completed?

You state in your book to let consequences do their job and to never confront students, only tell them the rule broken and consequence.

I want to make sure I do not go against that rule, but also hold students accountable for not completing their work. What should I say to them?

They are two different things. Homework is not part of your classroom management plan.

Hi Michael,

I’m a first-year middle school teacher at a private school with very small class sizes (eight to fourteen students per class). While I love this homework policy, I feel discouraged about confronting middle schoolers publicly regarding incomplete homework. My motive would never be to humiliate my students, yet I can name a few who would go home thinking their lives were over if I did confront them in front of their peers. Do you have any ideas of how to best go about incomplete homework confrontation with middle school students?

The idea isn’t in any way to humiliate students, but to hold them accountable for doing their homework. Parts one and two represent my best recommendation.:)

I believe that Homework is a vital part of students learning.

I’m still a student–in a classroom management class. So I have no experience with this, but I’m having to plan a procedure for my class. What about teacher sitting at desk and calling student one at a time to bring folder while everyone is doing bellwork or whatever their procedure is? That way 1) it would be a long walk for the ones who didn’t do the work :), and 2) it would be more private. What are your thoughts on that? Thanks. 🙂

I’m not sure I understand your question. Would you mind emailing me with more detail? I’m happy to help.

I think what you talked about is great. How do you feel about flipping a lesson? My school is pretty big on it, though I haven’t done it yet. Basically, for homework, the teacher assigns a video or some other kind of media of brand new instruction. Students teach themselves and take a mini quiz at the end to show they understand the new topic. Then the next day in the classroom, the teacher reinforces the lesson and the class period is spent practicing with the teacher present for clarification. I haven’t tried it yet because as a first year teacher I haven’t had enough time to make or find instructional videos and quizzes, and because I’m afraid half of my students will not do their homework and the next day in class I will have to waste the time of the students who did their homework and just reteach what the video taught.

Anyway, this year, I’m trying the “Oops, I forgot my homework” form for students to fill out every time they forget their homework. It keeps them accountable and helps me keep better track of who is missing what. Once they complete it, I cut off the bottom portion of the form and staple it to their assignment. I keep the top copy for my records and for parent/teacher conferences.

Here is an instant digital download of the form. It’s editable in case you need different fields.

Thanks again for your blog. I love the balance you strike between rapport and respect.

Your site is a godsend for a newbie teacher! Thank you for your clear, step-by-step, approach!

I G+ your articles to my PLN all the time.

You’re welcome, TeachNich! And thank you for sharing the articles.

Hi Michael, I’m going into my first year and some people have told me to try and get parents involved as much as I can – even home visits and things like that. But my gut says that negligent parents cannot be influenced by me. Still, do you see any value in having parents initial their student’s planner every night so they stay up to date on homework assignments? I could also write them notes.

Personally, no. I’ll write about this in the future, but when you hold parents accountable for what are student responsibilities, you lighten their load and miss an opportunity to improve independence.

I am teaching at a school where students constantly don’t take work home. I rarely give homework in math but when I do it is usually something small and I still have to chase at least 7 kids down to get their homework. My way of holding them accountable is to record a homework completion grade as part of their overall grade. Is this wrong to do? Do you believe homework should never be graded for a grade and just be for practice?

No, I think marking a completion grade is a good idea.

I’ve been teaching since 2014 and we need to take special care when assigning homework. If the homework assignment is too hard, is perceived as busy work, or takes too long to complete, students might tune out and resist doing it. Never send home any assignment that students cannot do. Homework should be an extension of what students have learned in class. To ensure that homework is clear and appropriate, consider the following tips for assigning homework:

Assign homework in small units. Explain the assignment clearly. Establish a routine at the beginning of the year for how homework will be assigned. Remind students of due dates periodically. And Make sure students and parents have information regarding the policy on missed and late assignments, extra credit, and available adaptations. Establish a set routine at the beginning of the year.

Thanks Nancie L Beckett

Dear Michael,

I love your approach! Do you have any ideas for homework collection for lower grades? K-3 are not so ready for independent work first thing in the morning, so I do not necessarily have time to check then; but it is vitally important to me to teach the integrity of completing work on time.

Also, I used to want parents involved in homework but my thinking has really changed, and your comments confirm it!

Hi Meredith,

I’ll be sure and write about this topic in an upcoming article (or work it into an article). 🙂

Overall, this article provides valuable insights and strategies for teachers to implement in their classrooms. I look forward to reading Part 2 and learning more about how to make homework a simple and effective process. Thanks

We Are In Beta Newsletter

Homework policies - what can we learn from 31 high performing schools?

Can ai write one for you.

It’s ironic this edition lands in your inbox this morning.

Last night was surely the one night of the year where absolutely no homework was done.

Commiserations to the England team. Congratulations to France.

Sad though it is, there are two upsides:

now there’s one less distraction from getting more homework done.

I have a tenuous link to open this week’s newsletter, which saved me from rambling on for too long about whether Open AI’s ChatGPT can write a homework policy for you from scratch.

Spoiler alert: it can’t.

But I do share three things I learned at the bottom, which you might find useful.

We - schools - Are In Beta - always learning ( when we design strategies to meet the needs of our students without relying on world changing AI ).

🔬🏡 Guest research: Homework policies - what can we learn from 31 high performing schools?

📚🧠 Curriculum Thinking Week 2023 - dates not to be missed.

💼 🔎Jobs with We Are In Beta community members.

🔬🏡 Homework policies - what can we learn from 31 high performing schools?

This week’s highlight is a mind-blowingly thorough piece of research by Wilson Muchenje (Innovations Lead, Moseley Park).

Here’s some context:

Dylan Wiliam is quoted to have said, “Most homework teachers set is cr*p.”, ResearchEd 2014. That is mostly true. However, Dylan Wiliam is also quoted to have said “Everything works somewhere; nothing works everywhere.”, (Dylan William, 2018). That is also mostly true. But, how true is it for homework? As part of my role as STEAM and Innovations Lead at my school, I wanted find out. Here’s what I learned from reading 80 homework related documents across 31 high performing schools.

Read the full article

📝 How schools write and implement homework policies - what Wilson explores:

why he did the research and what we really mean by ‘homework’ and ‘effective’ homework

how we identified the 31 schools to research

what he learned about their policies’ content, accessibility, use of online platforms, implementation and use of pupil premium.

how to read and download the 80 homework related resources he found

Read homework policy findings

🔎 5 homework policy observations

Sent this by a friend?

🔬Evidence-informed – The majority of these 31 top-performing schools also adopted evidence-based approaches to homework (even though some do not spell this out in their policies), with a focus on Retrieval Practice and Knowledge Organisers.

📝Resources – 16/31 schools have their homework resources accessible on their website or on their VLE (Virtual Learning Environment). Here, under ‘homework resources’ we include Knowledge Organisers, homework booklets and general revision guidance.

🏆Rewards and Praise – 10/31 schools have at least one reference that is specific to homework. 20/31 schools have general ‘rewards and praise’ statements under their “Behaviour” policies, and these are not specific on rewards/praise available for homework. Only 1/31 schools were found to not have any references to rewards/praise in their policies.

⛔️Consequences and Sanctions – 21/31 schools have at least one reference that is specific to homework. Only 1/31 schools were found to have a general ‘consequences and sanctions’ statement under their “Behaviour” policies, and it was not specific on rewards available for homework. 9/31 schools were found to not have any references to consequences/sanctions in their policies.

📚Reading intervention – All 31/31 schools that met the criteria have Reading Intervention programs. These are wide-ranging; from DEAR (Drop-Everything-And-Read, morning/lunchtime/after-school clubs and targeted intervention with teaching staff and LSAs. Most schools use Accelerated Reader.

If you want to know how they implemented them, how they resourced supportive working environments and how they linked to wider curriculum…

Read the full analysis

📚🧠 Curriculum Thinking Week 2023 - window for nominations closing.

Nominations for brilliant colleagues to celebrate their subject specific curriculum work and resources have been rolling in from members’ schools this week 🙌.

Whether you want to join the line up to share your thinking or just soak up others’… here are some key dates for your diaries. Not to be missed.

(Ideally) by 16th Dec - tell us who you are nominating (so they can get everything they need from us by the end of term)

By 6th Jan – choose your focus and tell us about your session

By 18th Jan – create and upload your session, supported by your SLT

w/c 30th Jan – conference goes live! Jump in to meet fellow speakers, discuss sessions and learn from a wealth of ideas and resources on offer.

Want to know more?

Curriculum Thinking Week 2023

💼 Jobs with We Are In Beta community members.

Want the 14.5k+ people reading this newsletter to see your roles?

System leadership.

Director of Growth and Development - Greenshaw Learning Trust (Multiple Locations). Message Nicola Borrow.

Middle leadership.

Head of Maths - Queensbury (Dunstable). Message School Improvement Lead, Carleen Masson.

2i/c English - Robert Napier School (Medway). Message DHT, Jane Dunnett.

2i/c Maths - Oakbank (Reading). Message School Improvement Lead, Carleen Masson.

Heads of Year - Ark John Keats (North London). Message Headteacher, Katie Marshall.

Science - Ashton Park (Bristol). Message Headteacher, Richard Uffendell.

Spanish and French - The Priory Learning Trust (Somerset). Message HR School Partner, Alex Tedford.

English, Science, Geography - Queensbury (Dunstable). Message School Improvement Lead, Carleen Masson.

Maths, ICT/Business - Robert Napier School (Medway). Message DHT, Jane Dunnett.

Interested in these roles?

Send the people who posted them a message to find out more. But first…

On a personal note.

I’ve had to write a few school policies. Essential work but a real pain. Especially knowing where to start or what good looks like.

Like most people, I spent some time playing around with Open AI’s ChatGPT this week. Mainly to find some reassurance that the last few weeks’ of researching effective schools’ homework policies wasn’t a complete waste of time.😂

Here’s what I learned about whether it could help write a school policy or not:

It can tell you what a homework policy is and what it should aim to do BUT it can’t write one.

It does suggest that retrieval practice might be useful strategy to boost student grades BUT it can’t tell you what tasks to set or what platforms to use.

It correctly said it would take several days to find 31 exemplar policies and that “ the process of writing a homework policy from scratch can be a complex and time-consuming endeavour”.

So, the bad news is, your leadership’s too complex to farm out to a robot. So you’re still going to have to do it yourself. No time saving short cuts here. Sorry.

The good news is, your job’s safe. Plus you’re a member of the We Are In Beta community, which means you can save yourself days of work by accessing ours .

Why not save your colleagues a bunch of time by sending them this?

Thanks for reading.

@NiallAlcock and the We Are In Beta team.

📱 Get 15,318 school leaders and teachers in your pocket - download We Are In Beta app

🆕 New here? Catch up with previous editions, podcasts and webinars via the archive .

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A Strategic Homework Policy in 3 Steps

On Tuesday, February 16, we talked to a group of HR professionals about working from home and how to set up a strategic policy for it. During this webinar, we discussed the three steps you need to take to design a strategic policy, but we also learned from each other's experiences with this. In this summary, we discuss the three steps and the tips that were discussed.

Just under 20% already have a home office policy

Just under 20% of the participants already have a home office policy and 25.8% are in the process of setting up one. This means that just under 55% have not yet taken any steps at all in drafting a homework policy. We recognize this picture in the market. With the first lockdown, working from home was arranged ad hoc. When everyone was obliged to work from home overnight, being able to work from home was arranged immediately. So, facilitating working from home in a practical way was, understandably, paramount. Employees were mainly given temporary items to take home from the office. Things like a keyboard, mouse, monitor, and office chair were no longer used there for the time being anyway.

However, working from home appears to be here to stay. Research by TNO 1 shows that almost 1 in 4 employees wants to continue working at home after the pandemic and 43% wants to combine working at home with working at the office. A hybrid system is therefore the most obvious choice. But how do you approach this in a structured way? And how do you consider both the facilities and the mental and physical well-being of employees? It is precisely that well-being that received little attention during the rapid implementation. So now is the time to go back to basics and shape the home working policy from step 1.

Step 1: Every strategic policy starts with insight and overview

When drawing up a strategic policy plan, it is important to first create an overview and gain insight into the needs of both your employees and your company itself. So, it's not just about the wishes, needs, and vision of HR alone, the management, or a group of articulate employees, but about everyone in the company. This insight can be solved in different ways, depending on the size of your company.

When asking about the needs and wants of your employees, you don't just look at the design of the workplace. You also take well-being into account. How can you ensure together that the employee works in a healthy posture? How can the social aspect be best fulfilled? Consider the different stages of life of people. Someone with small children at home has different needs than a single person or someone who is also an informal caregiver.

Step 2: Set goals and write down the policy

Once you have insight and an overview, you start to shape and write down the policy. In doing so, you start by formulating the goal of the policy: what do you want to achieve with working from home? Do you purely want to facilitate working from home? Is it also important to provide a better work-life balance? Or are you (also) concerned with the environmental impact of reducing emissions due to less travel? Having a clear goal gives your policy focus and direction.

To make a whole from all the separate parts, it is important to determine which parts are the most urgent and which parts yield the most. By testing these items within the budget, you create a prioritization. With this prioritization, you create a timeline of when you will pick up what.

When rolling out the policy, communication largely determines the degree of success. By communicating clearly and transparently about how the goals and choices have been reached. If you show how the wishes and needs of the employees are met, they will feel heard.

"What is the most important part of your policy?"

Tip from the participants: Go back to the 'purpose' at each separate step, so you keep focus per part and the total remains correct.

Step 3: Evaluate and adjust

The last step is at least as important as the first two steps. A nice document is not enough. The policy must actually work. The structure is the magic word here. By paying attention to the elaboration of the homework policy systematically and for a longer period, you ensure a lasting effect. As we mentioned earlier in the difference between the first and second lockdown, the sentiment towards working from home can change over time. New insights and desires may also arise. This is precisely why evaluation is so important. You need to take step 1 again occasionally: make sure you check the insight into the wishes and needs and the vision. Does it need to be adjusted? Then adjust the policy using step 2 and communicate this clearly to the employees.

"How do you measure the success of your policy?"

To evaluate properly, a baseline measurement is needed in the first place. With this, you establish the starting point. With the baseline measurement, you can test the effect on, for example, productivity or absenteeism, but also of involvement and cooperation. Step 3 also starts with the beginning: insight and overview.

Tip from the participants: Ensure continuous contact with employees. This can be done through surveys, but especially through personal contact. A personal conversation has the advantage of being able to ask questions tailored to your needs.

Would you like to know more about this? We are happy to think along with you.

Linked-in community working from home: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9026843/

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Three Classroom Policies and Procedures You Need To Consider

by Brad Melsby – July 31, 2023

As a new teacher, one of your primary goals for the start of the year is to establish a positive and productive learning environment. The implementation of clear and reasonable classroom policies and procedures will aid this process. Not only that, but sound policies can save you a ton of headaches and stress throughout the year.

What’s the Difference Between Classroom Expectations and Policies?

Classroom expectations (also known as “rules”) outline your basic standards for student behavior in your class. They are usually general in nature and are stated positively. For example:

Example Expectation: “All students should listen respectfully while the teacher is talking.”

Classroom Expectations Are Typically Similar From Teacher to Teacher

It’s been our experience that classroom expectations are similar in nature from teacher to teacher. It’s better to state them positively. Say “Be respectful” as opposed to “Don’t be disrespectful”. These rules provide the basis for a positive classroom culture.

Keep your list of rules short; 4-6 is about right. A common set of classroom expectations are listed below (feel free to use them in your class!)::

Be respectful of yourself and others.
Use language that is not vulgar or hurtful.
Act in a way that supports learning for all members of the class.
Be on time and prepared with the necessary materials.
Follow all school rules.

It’s always a good idea to post these expectations in your classroom and refer back to them from time to time.

Now that your rules have been decided, let’s move on to some bigger decisions: policies and procedures.

Classroom Procedure #1

Will you assign seats or allow students to choose their seats, why it matters:.

As a teacher, you have two main goals: establish a positive learning environment and maximize student learning. Every veteran teacher can recall a time when a “tough” class completely changed for the better with a few tweaks of the seating chart.

Creating a great seating chart can be like a complicated puzzle: assigning 30 students (or more) to desk locations that meet their unique learning needs. It’s an art.

And it’s becoming something of a lost art. More and more, teachers are deciding to ditch the assigned seats in favor of a more student-friendly approach.

Arguments in favor of the teacher assigning seats:

Sets the tone that you’re in control and that your class is a productive place of learning
Fewer behavior problems. If you let students sit near their friends, they will.
You have control over the placement of students who require extra help or a positive role model as a partner (often mandated by IEPs/504s)
Can be less awkward for new students or any student without a ton of friends in that class
Easier for you to learn names at the start of the year

Arguments in favor of allowing the students to choose their seats:

Sets the tone that you value student comfort and autonomy
Displays a level of “trust” that students are capable of choosing the best seat for them
Most students prefer this policy

Our verdict: assign seats.

Although assigning seats has fallen out of favor in the past 3-5 years, it is still a very sound practice for teachers. We’ve seen newer teachers start the year by “nicely” allowing students to choose their seats only to deal with discipline issues later on. By October, they are introducing a seating chart with students who are none too happy to give up that seat next to their friend. Consider starting the year with a seating chart and then, if you feel comfortable, allowing students to choose their seats later in the year.

Two caveats:

The decision to assign seats can vary by age group. A seating chart with 6th graders feels necessary – and they’ll probably accept your control. On the other hand, allowing 12th graders to select their seats is probably a non-issue.
It may be worth asking around to get a feel for what other teachers at your school do for seating arrangements. Having a policy that isn’t too far from the norm will make implementation easier.

Tips for creating a seating chart:

Explain your rationale for using a seating chart: to put everyone in a place where they can be successful.
Explain that you don’t discuss seat assignments in front of the class (no need to embarrass anyone) but you are happy to chat after class, in private, about possibly moving a student’s seat.
Change the seating chart every 10-15 weeks to keep it fresh and give those kids who don’t love their assigned seat a break.
Some teachers use “4th quarter students choose their seats” as a motivating reward throughout the year.

Classroom Procedure #2

What is your restroom policy.

Your goal is a safe and productive learning environment while limiting disruption related to restroom use. Student requests to use the restroom will be a daily occurrence.

Creating a clear policy serves you in two ways. First, teaching is a job filled with hundreds of quick decisions. A policy will save you from some of those. Second, a policy should be fair for all students and allow you to sidestep the “Hey, but you let that student go!” accusations.

Background information: 15 years ago, nearly every teacher issued a restroom pass (on paper) with roughly five trips allowed per semester. At the end of the semester, any unused trips were converted to extra credit.

The result: students either made a point to use the restroom during breaks or they tried their best to wait until after class. They wanted the extra credit. About 50% of the students NEVER asked to use the restroom all year. Another 25% used it a couple of times and about 25% used all their passes. (If they used up their passes, they could still go, of course, but sometimes would “owe” the teacher a minute or so after school.)

What changed? Parents complained that their child, who had used all of their restroom trips, was losing points for going to the bathroom. The policy was viewed as draconian and “forced” students to sit uncomfortably in class in order to earn points. It was probably time for that practice to end. Now , most teachers allow unlimited restroom use.

Positives of unlimited restroom use:

Students are able to use the restroom without “penalty” or fear of losing points
This is a respectful and humane approach to a basic daily need

Negatives of unlimited restroom use:

Any time a student wants to get out of class, they can easily do it
Some students will abuse the policy and use the restroom nearly every day
Easy for students to meet friends from other classes at a specified time
Less time in class reduces learning opportunities and increases the work for teachers to get them up to speed on what they missed

Tips for Managing Restroom Use:

Absolutely have a system for keeping track of restroom use. (The most common is a sign-out sheet.)
Asking students to sign in/out with the time can limit the number of minutes spent outside of class.
A “one student at a time” policy helps prevent hallway shenanigans.
Consider notifying parents if you feel restroom use is excessive. Be sure to cite the data from your tracking system.
Establish expectations that a restroom trip is no more than 5 minutes (or whatever time you feel is reasonable).
Strongly think about a policy that does not allow restroom use during the first 10 minutes of class. This allows you to start the class right as the bell rings – an important goal for new teachers. You’ll get students who want to drop off their things and “extend the passing period” by using the restroom right away.
If you’re in the middle of teaching something critical, it’s ok to ask the student if they can wait a few minutes until you’re done with the lecture or with your directions. Most times, they’ll be fine with that.
When in doubt, let a student go.

Classroom Procedure #3

What is your test/quiz retake policy.

Back in the day, students would take a quiz or test and the grade they got is…what they got. The current trend in education is to provide opportunities for students to “fix” their poor quiz or test grades. This might take the form of test corrections or even test retakes.

Advantages of letting students retake quizzes or tests:

Promotes the ultimate goal: learn the material.
Is a student-friendly policy given their hectic extracurricular or work schedules.
Shows flexibility on your part, which helps in parent meetings.

Disadvantages to letting students retake quizzes or tests:

There is little to no urgency to study.
More work and more time outside of class for you. Sometimes the time spent on retakes can be offputting.
Do you make a new assessment or use the original? If they’ve seen the graded original test, they know the answers. Making a new one is time-consuming.

Tips on Allowing Retakes of Your Quizzes and Tests:

If you offer assessment retakes, consider making the max score on a retake lower than an A. This provides a reward for those students who studied and scored well on their first try.
Instead of making an entirely new test, change the question order. It feels like a new test!
A retake is something nice you’re doing for students. It isn’t a requirement that you offer this. Retakes should be done at a time that is convenient for you and not a lot of extra work.
If you opt for test corrections instead of having students retakes the test, format that so students have to demonstrate knowledge as opposed to just changing an answer from “True” to “False”. Test corrections should require thoughtful work on the part of the student.
Outline your retake policy in the course syllabus at the start of the year.

An Example Assessment Retake Policy

I’ll briefly share my own retake policy, which was honed over the years and resulted in very few student or parent complaints.

Sample Quiz Retake Policy:

Quizzes are usually worth fewer points with minimal impact on grades.
Quizzes are almost always open-note. I almost never sprung a “pop quiz” on students.
Students cannot retake quizzes if they scored poorly. (This was rare if they had good notes.)

Note: another current trend is that smaller quizzes do not count as a grade. Their sole purpose is formative assessment: to let the student and teacher know how they’re doing at that point in the unit.

Sample Test Retake Policy:

This policy is for Summative Assessments (end of unit)
These tests are rarely open-note, but occasionally I allow students to bring in a student-generated (handwritten) notecard for use during the test
How test retakes work:
If a student scores a C, D, or F they can retake the test. Students who score an A, B, or C+ cannot retake.
In the interest of time, I usually use the same test for retakes.
On the retake, the best score a student can get is a C+, even if they get every question right.
On the retake, students can use their notes, they can ask me for help…whatever it takes to get to a C+.
Retakes are done before or after school at a time convenient for me. I usually give 4-5 time slots during a week for retakes. If a student doesn’t come in by then, their first test score becomes final.

Other Policies and Procedures To Think About

What if a student is absent? How should they get the makeup work?

If a student misses a test day, when and how will they make that up?

Do any of your policies differ if an absence if unexcused or if the student cut class?

When you are absent, what are your expectations for the students with a substitute teacher?

Electronic Devices:

What should a student do if their device is not charged?

What should a student do if their device is not working properly?

Daily Procedures:

What do you want students to do when they walk into your classroom each day?

How will you collect papers?

When working in groups, what are your expectations?

What are your expectations if a student needs to sharpen their pencil?

What do you want students to do if they don’t have the required materials (pencil, paper, etc) for class that day?

What do want the end of the period to look like? When is it ok to pack up? Will you ask students to stay seated or will they gather near the door?

Emergencies:

If a student feels sick to their stomach, what do you want them to do?

What are your expectations if the fire alarm goes off?

What are your expectations if the school enters lockdown?

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Brad has taught history at the middle and high school levels for 19 years, almost exclusively in American public schools. He holds a master’s in educational technology and is passionate about elevating the status of professional educators.

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Effective Classroom Policies and Procedures

Policies and Procedures to Add to Your Classroom Handbook

Becoming A Teacher
Assessments & Tests
Elementary Education
Secondary Education
Special Education
Homeschooling
M.S., Education, Buffalo State College
B.S., Education, Buffalo State College

In order for your classroom to run smoothly you will need to write your own policies and procedures handbook. This handy guide will help you and your students (and parents) know exactly what you expect of them. Here are a few examples of the types of things that you can put into your classroom policies and procedures handbook.

Birthdays will be celebrated in the classroom. However, in order to ensure the safety of all students in the classroom and throughout the school with life-treating allergies, no food products may be sent in that include peanuts or tree nuts. You may send in non-food items as well such as stickers, pencils, erasers, small grab bags, etc.

Book Orders

A Scholastic book order flyer will be sent home each month and payments must be received by the date attached to the flyer in order to ensure the order will get out on time. If you wish to place an order online, you will be given a class code to do so.

Class DoJo is an online behavior management/classroom communication website. Students will have the opportunity to earn points throughout the day for modeling positive behavior. Each month students can redeem the points earned for various rewards. Parents have the option to download the app which will allow you to receive instant notifications and messages throughout the school day.

Communication

Building and maintaining a partnership between home and school is essential. Parent communication will be weekly through notes home, emails, a weekly newsletter, on Class Dojo, or on the class website .

Each Friday, students who have turned in all their work will earn the chance to participate in “Fun Friday” activities in our classroom. A student who has not completed all homework or classwork will not participate, and will go to another classroom to catch up on incomplete assignments.

All assigned homework will be sent home in a take-home folder each night. A list of spelling words will be sent home each Monday and will be tested on Friday. Students will also receive a math, language arts, or other homework sheet each night as well. All homework must be turned in the following day unless stated otherwise. There will be no homework on the weekends, only Monday-Thursday.

Our newsletter will be sent home every Friday. This newsletter will keep you updated on what is happening at school. You can also find a copy of this newsletter on the class website. Please refer to this newsletter for any weekly and monthly classroom and school-wide information.

Parent Volunteers

Parent volunteers are always welcome in the classroom, regardless of the age of the students. If parents or family members are interested in helping out on special occasions or would like to donate any school supplies or classroom items, then there will be a sign-up sheet in the classroom, as well as on the classroom website.

Reading Logs

Reading is an essential and necessary skill to practice each night in order to achieve success in all content areas. Students are expected to read on a daily basis. Each month students will receive a reading log to track the amount of time spent at home reading. Please sign the log each week and it will be collected at the end of the month. You can find this reading log attached to your child's take home folder.

Please send in a healthy snack each day with your child. This peanut/tree nut free snack can be anything from goldfish, animal crackers, fruit, or pretzels, to vegetables, veggie sticks, or anything else that you can think of that is healthy and quick.

Water Bottles

Students are encouraged to bring in a water bottle (filled with only water, not anything else) and keep it at their desk. Students need to be well hydrated in order to remain focused throughout the school day.

Our class has a website. Many forms can be downloaded from it, and there is much classroom information to be found on it. Please refer to this website for any missed homework assignments, classroom pictures, or any further information.

Parent-Teacher Communication
Back to School Checklist for Teachers
Homework Guidelines for Elementary and Middle School Teachers
Why Daily School Attendance Matters
Creating a Homework Policy With Meaning and Purpose
Weekly Newsletter for Parent Communication
Back to School Night Agenda
School Communication Policy
5 Tips to Help the Disorganized Student
12 New Teacher Start-of-School Strategies
Fun Ideas for Celebrating Student Birthdays in School
Classroom Procedures and Routines
Classroom Essentials for the New Special Educator
Student Welcome Letter
Using ABC Countdowns to Summer in School
How to Create an Effective Classroom Library

How to Write Policies: A Beginner's Guide to Policy Writing for Businesses

Introduction.

Building a policy document is one of an organization's most important tasks.

No, really. Whether you're writing for an enterprise or SMB, policy documents are essential to making sure you can effectively run your business. Though often overlooked, they're necessary to make sure everything operates as it should.

Want to know how to write effective, accurate policies? You're in the right place.

1. Introduction to policies

Before you can start writing policies, you should first have a basic understanding of what they are.

For that reason, we will start by defining policies!

What is a policy?

A policy is a set of guidelines, or rules, put in place by an organization or individual to ensure efficient operations.

They provide a framework for decision-making by outlining the protocols that must be followed in certain situations, and they help ensure consistency and compliance in the workplace.

Policies should be:

Clear and easy to understand. Policies should be written in terms that are easy to understand and easily summarized
Consistent. When crafting policies, you should ensure that the language is the same throughout and that your policies align with any existing company guidelines
Compliant. All of your policies should comply with any relevant laws and regulations

Why are policies important for businesses?

So why should businesses write policies?

Policies can:

Provide guidance on how to handle issues that may arise in the workplace
Help ensure compliance with laws and regulations
Create a culture of transparency, accountability and fairness in the organization
Provide employees with clear expectations and guidance around their roles and responsibilities
Help reduce the risk of disputes or costly legal action taken against an organization

2. Researching policies

Regardless of the type of policy you're developing, conducting thorough research is essential.

This will help you identify best practices and find examples or templates to guide your policy writing.

You can do both internal and external research .

Internal in a way that you can interview employees, look through past documentation, and identify any existing policies or procedures that can be used as guidance.

📌 How to build HR procedures: A step-by-step guide

External research includes looking at industry standards, legal requirements, policy templates, and different types of processes and policies. It's important to know what policies would be beneficial for your specific business.

To make your research easier, here are some of the most common business-related policies:

Customer service policies.
Vacation and time-off policies.
Policies regarding employee complaints.
Data and privacy policy.
Health and safety policies.
Working from home policies.

For all of these policy examples , a simple Google search can offer a lot of inspiration. Google "customer service policy" for a lot of ideas and even templates you can use on your own policies.

When doing research, make sure to consult with stakeholders who the policy may impact. This can help ensure that your policy accurately reflects the organization's actual needs.

Once you've gathered the necessary information, you can start writing your policy.

3. Drafting policy

When it comes to writing the actual policy, it can be hard to get started. We've put together a step-by-step guide to help you craft effective and understandable policies.

1. Define the purpose & scope of the policy

Everything starts with why you’re creating the policy in the first place.

For example, a policy for HR will have a very different goal than a policy for Customer Success. Clearly state the purpose of the policy, as well as its boundaries. This will give the policy context and make it easier for everyone to understand.

Make sure to include any details that are important such as who the policy applies to, what it covers, and how long it will remain in effect.

2. Identify responsibilities & procedures

As you write the policy, make sure to include all the relevant details. If there are specific tasks or procedures that need to be followed, make sure to include those as well.

🎓 Related resource: How to write procedures — a step-by-step guide .

And make sure to list who is responsible for what, as this will help ensure that everyone knows their role and can take action when needed.

3. Create a standard policy template

Creating a standard policy template makes writing policies now and in the future easier. This means creating a standard format that applies to all policies.

We've listed some ideas:

1. Use a professional font

Policies are formal documents and should be written using a professional, easy-to-read font.

Regularly used and professional fonts like Arial, Georgia, Times New Roman, and Calibri are all great for policies.

2. Keep the font size consistent

You should also keep the font size consistent across all your policies. Typically, 12 pt. is a good size for policies, making them easy to scan and comprehend. This is different for headings; you should use larger sizes to make them stand out.

3. Avoid bright colors

Policies should be professional documents, so it's important to use colors that reflect this. Avoid bright and flashy colors and stick with more subtle tones, like black and white.

You can also use colors to differentiate sections or highlight essential points when appropriate.

4. Be clear

When writing policies, clarity should be your number one priority. The goal is to ensure that everyone understands the policy, which means using simple language and avoiding long, wordy sentences.

As a baseline for all of your policies, avoid jargon or technical terms that may be difficult to understand.

4. Start writing the policy

With all the research and preparation done, it's time to start drafting the policy.

To help you, here are some things to include in the policy:

Header: By only reading the header, it should be clear what the policy is about. Include the policy title, date, and any other key information.
Introduction: Provide a brief overview of the policy and what it covers. The introduction line should help set the tone for what follows.
Purpose of the policy: If you didn't already do it in the introduction, go into more detail about why this policy exists and how it will benefit your organization.
Body text: This is where you will include any procedures, responsibilities or exceptions related to the policy. Break up these points into smaller paragraphs, as this will make it easier to read and understand.
Conclusion: Wrap up the policy by summarizing the points you made.
Signature: Include a signature or date line at the end of the policy to indicate when it was written and approved.
References: Include any documents, resources, or links to websites that were used in the policy.

There are obviously more things that you can include in the policy, but this should give you a good starting point. Think of what’s essential in your company's own individual context and include those details.

4. Reviewing policies

Once the policy is written, it's important to keep reviewing and revising it regularly. This helps ensure that the policy remains relevant and up-to-date with changes in regulations and customer needs.

To do this, you can conduct operational improvements , such as gap analysis, to identify gaps in the policy and see where improvements can be made. Again here, you should also seek feedback from stakeholders, as this will help ensure that their needs and concerns are taken into account.

Incorporate any changes based on feedback and compliance requirements, and don’t forget small things like updating the policy's header with the new version date. This will make it easier for everyone to know when the policy was last updated.

5. Use Scribe & Pages for procedure writing

Without efficient tools, policy writing can take way too much manual work. Cut it in half by capturing procedures that will inform your policies with Scribe.

Scribe and Pages provide features that can help streamline the process of creating and managing policies, from start to finish.

1. Scribe Writing up docs and how-to guides used to take up so much time, but not anymore! @ScribeHow creates auto-generated step-by-step guides, cutting down hours of work to minutes. It's a must-have tool if you're working solo or in a team. 👉 https://t.co/HL8WC7WBUs pic.twitter.com/Qmkrw4Uour — Nikki Siapno (@NikkiSiapno) January 12, 2023

With Scribe and Pages, you can easily create templates for policy development, share policies with stakeholders, automate document sharing, and more.

These tools also allow you to quickly and easily manage your policy revisions, ensuring that everyone involved is kept up-to-date on the latest version.

Creating and maintaining effective policies is an important part of running a successful business. However, it can be difficult to know where to start.

By following the steps outlined above, you can create a compelling policy that meets all your needs and is easy for everyone to understand. If you want to speed things up — using Scribe and Pages can make everything so much easier.

By capturing your screen, Scribe turns your processes into step-by-step guides. And with Pages, you can format and create the actual policies. Combining these two tools make it easy for every team member to access and understand policies.

🆓 Steal these Free Policy and Procedure Templates you can use today!

Ready to try Scribe?

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Classroom Management

No Homework Policy: One Year Later

By Mary Montero

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.Last school year was a really big year in my classroom. We started flexible seating (you can read more about that adventure HERE ), we implemented a Bring Your Own Device program, and we did away with homework. Like I said– BIG year!

While each of those three changes contributed to a very different feel in my classroom than years prior, I was particularly nervous about doing away with homework. I know that homework has its place, and I know there are concepts and skills (especially in 4th grade!) that require repetition to really grasp. Yet, I still felt like the reasons to do away with homework were more important than the benefits of homework itself.

Throughout the school year, I had many colleagues pop in and ask how our no-homework policy was going. “It’s going well!” I would respond, but I wouldn’t give many details. Now, after a full school year without it, I definitely have some reflections on how it went, what changes I would make, and if I would do it again!

After a Full Year of No Homework

You can see that we didn’t COMPLETELY do away with homework, but we did do away with 99% of it. We still STRONGLY encouraged students to be reading each night, and they were required to have a novel in progress at all times. We also continued our weekly letter writing, where students had to respond to us in letter form by the end of the week. You can read more about that idea HERE . I’ll never have a classroom where I don’t do it!

We also had a disclaimer that if students did not complete their classwork in a reasonable period of time or were excessively off task during an assignment, they would need to bring it home to complete it.

How I Broke The News To My Students

Of course, when we first told students about this change, there was hooting and hollering and cheers galore! I let them have their moment and then gently pulled them back together. I reassured them that it was totally possible that they wouldn’t have homework, but that it would mean they had to give me their all every. single. minute of every. single. day. Their eyes got big, they sat up taller, and an air of confidence washed over them. “We’ve got this, Mrs. M.!” I remember one kiddo saying. In the beginning, it was as if they would do anything to keep this privilege. We floated on clouds of no-homework bliss for a solid week…

And then here’s what really happened when I did away with homework…

Eliminating2Bhomework2Bno2Bhomework2Bpolicy

I expected more from my students than ever before.

When I was planning my lessons this year, I packed in more than I ever had before. While that might send like a negative effect of this little experiment, it was actually one of the best parts for me.

The Monster That Is Math

In math, in particular, this was a game changer for me. I knew that my students needed to deeply and fully understand these concepts and be able to compute with automaticity. I also knew they wouldn’t be going home and doing 20 extra problems each night like they had in the past. This meant that 1) I had to make sure they understood the concept like the back of their hand and 2) They could apply that understanding to a wide variety of problems…. Of course, these are two non-negotiables that any math classroom should have, but I was going to be doing it with less practice and repetition than before.

Therefore, when I was planning, I ended up with FAR more inquiry-based lessons and practice (so that they would really get the meat of the concept), and far less direct teacher instruction. I jammed as much as I could into my whole group time (10-15 minutes a day) and then jammed even more into their workshop time. Kids were collaborating, practicing, and learning more than ever… Simply because I had this sense of urgency that I was missing before.

But What About Spelling

A few people have asked about spelling and how this worked without homework and studying at home. We use a word study philosophy, similar to Words Their Way , which means that students are studying patterns in words rather than the words themselves. I incorporated this into my reading rotations and would occasionally devote some of our writing to it, and I would highly recommend it!

Another option to fit in what would have previously been homework is to rethink your morning routine. I usually use my Think It Through critical thinking packet as morning work, and when I did away with homework this year and had to give them some more “intense” morning work, I started using the packet during Morning Meeting instead. I used our morning work time this year to review and reteach grammar concepts some days and math skills other days. It was the perfect balance!

This brought out the best in some kids

When I say it brought out the best in them, I mean it changed their study habits permanently. They created habits that I hope will continue on with them for years and years to come. They knew that in order to continue having no homework, they truly had to give me their all during the day. It wasn’t easy. They had to not only complete their assignments, but complete them well. We had very, very little down time, and I expected more from this group of kids than ever before. Some rose to the challenge and THRIVED under the challenge…

…and some kids didn’t care.

I did have a handful of students who were not at all motivated by a lack of homework. These were the kids who repeatedly ended up taking work home because they weren’t completing it in class. Usually due to them being distracted and not on-task. Some kids learned quickly that this isn’t what they wanted, and a few kids never did quite learn.

Some parents loved it. Others hated it.

On Back to School Night, when we handed out this homework policy, the general consensus was all the praise hands in the world! Parents thanked us for giving them FREEDOM in the evenings to take their kids to gymnastics without worrying about homework and some parents thanked us for eliminating the nightly homework battle they had fought for the past few years.

We also had a small number of parents who wanted their kids to have homework. They worried that they would become accustomed to not having homework and have a difficult time next year when their teacher required it again. They worried they wouldn’t get enough skill practice. These were valid concerns, and we reassured parents that, if they requested it, we would send home supplemental practice. Not one of the parents who initially expressed concern over the policy ever ended up asking for homework.

…but some KIDS asked for homework!

I’ll never forget the first time one of my kids ASKED for homework! It was about a month into the school year, and we were working on Error Analysis in small groups. One of my students looked up and said, “I LOVE this. Can you PLEASE give us some more to do at home!?” How could I deny them that opportunity!? 🙂 The rest of the kids in the small group chimed in that they wanted to bring some home too. During my lunch break, I printed a few more tasks out for those kids, and guess what? Every single student in that group brought it home and returned it the next day– BY CHOICE!

This happened multiple times throughout the year, primarily with my math projects and error analysis tasks. I never, ever denied them when they asked to bring something home for homework.

Some kids NEED homework.

Usually, these aren’t the kids who were requesting the extra homework, but I had another handful of students who needed homework. They needed skill practice, they needed reading fluency practice, and they needed fact practice. I talked to each of those students individually and contacted those parents privately. They (both students and parents) understood why I needed to send supplemental work home. Once a quarter, I put together packets based on those kids’ needs. I gave them free reign to complete it at any time throughout the quarter, and every single packet came back completed by the end of the quarter.

I would do it all over again.

At the end of the year, I had parents come up to me and thank me for this policy, telling me how they had enjoyed a better relationship with their student this year without the nightly homework battle. They had taken more walks, participated in more after school activities, and were generally so thankful for the reprieve.

As a teacher, I saw happy kids coming in every day and relaxed kids leaving every afternoon. There were no battles over missing homework, and kids worked hard to keep the privilege. I had no noticeable (anecdotally or with data) drop in achievement or growth over the course of the year. I felt like a better teacher because I worked even harder during the school day to make sure they were getting exactly what they needed while they were with me.

…Oh, and I had a lot less grading to do, too! 🙂 🙂

I would do it again a heartbeat!

Homework Policy

We strongly believe in the power of play and the importance of letting children be children. Further, research does not indicate significant benefits of homework at the elementary level. We believe that when students give us all of their day, they deserve to have all of their night. Therefore, we have eliminated the majority of our standing homework assignments. Eat dinner as a family and ask them how their day was, enjoy your child’s extracurricular activities without worrying about homework, and know that your child is working hard at school each day and has earned their evening playtime!

To foster community and self-reflection, your student will have a weekly letter from their teacher (more about that below!) to respond to, and we highly encourage you to read a book of choice with your child each evening. Please Note: If a student exhibits off-task behaviors during the school day and fails to complete an assignment, the assignment will be sent home for completion.

Mary Montero

I’m so glad you are here. I’m a current gifted and talented teacher in a small town in Colorado, and I’ve been in education since 2009. My passion (other than my family and cookies) is for making teachers’ lives easier and classrooms more engaging.

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How to Write a Policy for Your Business and Employees

Last Updated on January 17, 2024 by Owen McGab Enaohwo

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Feeling overwhelmed by the complexity of policy writing? Need help communicating your ideas effectively and bringing clarity to the chaos? Fear not! Our comprehensive guide is here to ease your pain and equip you with the tools you need to master the art of policy writing.

Policies help promote consistency and productivity while fostering an organized working environment. From startups to well-established industry giants, the unique art of policy writing is a highly underestimated skill.

Well-crafted policies are key to unlocking your workforce’s potential and fostering a positive organizational culture. This article highlights the key steps and best practices for creating comprehensive policies that your fantastic workforce can easily embrace. These policies will embody your organization’s vision and values and breathe some life into your pursuit of excellence. You can sign up to SweetProcess right now to create yours!

Writing the policy: a step-by-step guide, how to use sweetprocess for policy writing, getting started with policy writing: how to prepare, policy writing tips and best practices, implementing your new policy, policy writing samples to learn from, template for writing a policy, final thoughts, frequently asked questions.

Here’s the step-by-step guide for writing the policy.

Step 1: Perform internal research

Before diving into policy creation, performing thorough internal research is essential. Understand the organization’s mission, values, and objectives. Identify existing policies to avoid duplication or contradictions.

Review relevant data, statistics, and past incidents to grasp the context and potential risks associated with the policy you plan to create. Engage with relevant stakeholders, such as department heads and employees, to gather insights and consider their needs.

Step 2: Identify the policies you want to create

Based on the research, identify the policies that need to be established or updated. Categorize them into clear and distinct areas, such as human resources, cybersecurity, data protection, or workplace safety. Prioritize policies based on urgency, importance, or legal requirements. Start with critical policies before moving on to those of lesser significance.

Step 3: Include the key elements in the policy

Each policy should have specific elements to ensure clarity and effectiveness. These typically include:

a. Policy Purpose and Scope

Clearly state the policy’s purpose and define its scope. Explain why the policy is essential and who it applies to within the organization. This section sets the context for the entire policy.

b. Responsibilities

Outline the roles and responsibilities of individuals or departments involved in implementing and enforcing the policy. This section helps avoid ambiguity and ensures accountability.

c. Policy Statement

Present the policy’s primary principles and rules concisely. Use clear language to avoid misinterpretation and make it easy for readers to understand.

d. Procedures and Guidelines

If necessary, include detailed procedures or guidelines that help employees adhere to the policy effectively. Use bullet points or numbered lists to improve readability.

e. Compliance and Consequences

Explain the consequences of policy violations and the organization’s steps to ensure compliance. This section emphasizes the policy’s importance and encourages adherence.

Step 4: Create content for each element of the policy

For each identified policy document, develop content that addresses the key elements. Be precise and concise, and avoid ambiguous language. Use clear terminology and avoid jargon. Ensure that the policy is aligned with the organization’s culture and tone. Seek feedback from subject matter experts and relevant stakeholders to ensure accuracy and completeness.

Step 5: Add more information to clarify the policy for stakeholders

While conciseness is crucial, certain policies may require additional information or context to ensure stakeholders fully comprehend their implications. Create supplementary materials like FAQs, examples, or implementation guidelines. These supporting documents can help employees understand how the policy applies to specific scenarios, promoting better compliance.

Step 6: Revise, review, and format the policy

Once the initial draft is ready, conduct a thorough review. Look for inconsistencies, ambiguities, or potential gaps in the policy. Seek feedback from different departments and levels of the organization to gain diverse perspectives. Revise the policy accordingly and ensure it aligns with the organization’s language and style.

Consider formatting the policy in a user-friendly manner. Use headings, bullet points, and numbering to enhance readability. Employ a logical flow that makes it easy for readers to navigate the policy.

Step 7: Approve and publish

Before finalizing the policy, obtain necessary approvals from relevant stakeholders or management. Ensure that all changes and feedback are incorporated into the final version. Once approved, communicate the policy effectively to all employees and relevant parties. To ensure maximum visibility, use multiple channels such as emails, internal communication apps, intranet, or company-wide meetings.

SweetProcess is a powerful tool that can streamline and simplify the process of policy writing and management for businesses and organizations. This section will explore three aspects of using SweetProcess: manual policy writing, automatic policy generation with SweetAI, and the management of existing policies.

We will provide step-by-step instructions, screenshots, and video walkthroughs to help you understand how to use SweetProcess effectively.

Using SweetProcess to Write a Policy Manually

You may decide to write your policy manually using SweetProcess. Our tool offers a user-friendly interface that makes the process seamless.

Step 1: Log in to SweetProcess

Create a new SweetProcess account if you don’t have one before now, or log in to the account if you already have one.

Once logged in, you’ll be taken to the dashboard; click the “Policies” tab.

Step 2: Create a New Policy

Click the “+ Create Policy” button to create a new policy.

Give the policy a title.

Add the policy to one of your teams or more.

Click the “Continue” button.

Click on the space beneath to edit the policy.

Step 3: Define Policy Steps

Click on the “Add Step” button to add the first step to your policy.

Give the step a title and a brief description that explains what it entails.

You can also add images, videos, or documents to clarify the step further.

Step 4: Review and Publish

Review your policy once you’ve completed all the necessary steps.

When drafting the policy document, click “Approve” in the upper right corner of the page to approve it and make it live.

You can request permission by clicking the “Request Approval” button, as shown below, even if you cannot approve the policy.

Note: Any process or policy you create in SweetProcess may be embedded on any website you choose, and any changes you make will be instantly updated.

Using SweetAI to Generate Policies Automatically

SweetProcess offers an exciting feature called SweetAI, which utilizes artificial intelligence to automate policy writing based on predefined templates and guidelines. You may generate your policies in five easy steps.

Step 1: Click on the “Policies” tab on the dashboard

Step 2: Click on the “Create Policy” button

Step 3: Enter the title of the policy

Step 4: Select “Write with SweetAI”

Step 5: Manual Review and Editing

Even though SweetAI does an excellent job of drafting a policy automatically, manual review and editing are essential to ensure accuracy and relevance.

Make all necessary changes to the policy before publishing. Find below a video guide on using SweetAI:

https://www.sweetprocess.com/kb/8LBTequD/article/L7cxfDp4L/how-do-i-use-sweetai-artificial-intelligence-to-create-a-policy/

Note: One sweet feature of SweetAI is its ability to suggest policies and procedures for you based on your industry.

This makes your work easier and saves you the hassles of thinking through policies required for your industry.

What Exactly Is a Policy?

Policies are like guidelines that define how every employee should act and make decisions. It involves staying consistent, following the organization’s rules or regulations, and staying true to its goals. These policies highlight several issues, including employee behavior, how crucial data should be handled securely, how finances should be managed, and more. You know, all that good stuff!

Setting up policies makes them serve as guiding lights for all employees, ensuring they know what is expected of them. This helps create a friendly work environment. Plus, they help manage risks and legal stuff, keeping everything in check.

These policies are penned down or typed, printed, and shared with every employee involved. This places all employees on the same page. However, the business world is always dynamic; therefore, these policies require regular reviews and updating to stay effective.

Bottom line : Policies are like the compass determining how things should be done in an organization. They are created to ensure everyone’s on track and completes their tasks correctly. It’s all about keeping things organized and productive for everyone.

Why Is Policy Writing Important for Your Company?

Policy writing is crucial for your company for several reasons. Firstly, company policies are the rules or guidelines that determine the behaviors of employees. According to the U.S. Justice Department , a company needs rules and procedures to fulfill the requirements of an efficient compliance program. Clear policies promote a positive work environment by reducing misunderstandings and conflicts.

Secondly, policies help mitigate risks and ensure compliance with laws and regulations. By outlining procedures and protocols, employees can safeguard the company from legal liabilities and potential financial losses.

Effective policy writing also enhances organizational efficiency. Understanding an organization’s expectations from employees is like the secret sauce to success. This helps streamline processes and reduces the need for constant supervision.

Furthermore, policies contribute to building a reputable brand image. They demonstrate employees’ commitment to ethical practices, data privacy, and safety, fostering trust with customers and stakeholders.

Lastly, policies aid in adapting to changing circumstances. Reviewing and updating policies regularly enables employees to stay current with industry trends while ensuring the organization stays highly responsive to evolving challenges.

Policy writing is essential for creating a harmonious, compliant, and successful business environment.

Using SweetProcess to Manage Policies

After creating policies, managing them efficiently is vital to keep them up-to-date and ensure organizational compliance. Managing your policies is very easy with SweetProcess. The platform is flexible and allows for edits and updates.

Step 1: Select the policy you wish to edit

Step 2: Click the “Edit” tab to edit the policy.

Step 3: Click on the “Actions” tab on the top right corner of your screen if you intend to perform other actions

Step 3: Select from the drop-down the action you wish to perform

You may edit tags, add to folders, teams, or export.

Success Stories

Some of SweetProcess’s customers have expressed satisfaction with using SweetProcess to create, implement, and manage policies . Notable among them are as follows.

TechQuarters, a dynamic technology solutions provider, recognized the challenges posed by tribal knowledge within its organization. Tribal knowledge refers to information and expertise known to only a few individuals, making it difficult to share and retain vital information across the team. TechQuarters implemented SweetProcess, a powerful process documentation and management tool, to address this issue and enhance operational efficiency.

Using SweetProcess, TechQuarters successfully eliminated the reliance on tribal knowledge and created a more organized, efficient, and collaborative work environment . They now enjoy seamless policy documentation and sharing. The company empowered its team members with the information they needed to excel in their roles, resulting in increased productivity, enhanced knowledge retention, and improved overall performance.

Clients have continuously achieved tremendous results with SweetProcess. Another such client is Michel Coutu, the president of Location Accès Crédit. Location Accès Crédit helps clients access vehicle loans in Canada. Michel needed help with his employees following stipulated work policies. His major pain point was the need for more documentation. His employees needed help accessing work-related policies.

In his search for a solution, he found SweetProcess, where he could document his policies and ensure adherence. Since then, Location Accès Crédit has enjoyed standardized business operations , seamless employee onboarding and training, and remote access to work documents.

Next7 IT, a leading IT services company, recognized the need for greater consistency in its operations to deliver top-notch services and solutions to its clients. Next7 IT implemented SweetProcess to address this challenge and streamline its processes. By leveraging SweetProcess, the company achieved significant improvements in consistency throughout its operations.

In summary, Next7 IT achieved greater operational consistency by leveraging SweetProcess as a powerful process management tool. The platform helped the company standardize procedures, improve communication, enhance collaboration, and optimize performance, ultimately leading to more reliable and exceptional service delivery for its clients.

To experience seamless workflow and manage your policies effectively, sign up for a 14-day free trial to learn more about our services.

Pros and Cons of Writing a Policy

Writing a policy has some benefits as well as drawbacks you should know. This section discusses the pros and cons of policy writing, arranged in no particular order.

Pros of Policy Writing

Clarity and Consistency : Policies generally provide crystal-clear guidelines or rules that help ensure consistency when making crucial decisions or taking certain actions within an organization. When everyone knows and follows the policies, it reduces confusion and promotes a unified approach to various issues.

Legal Compliance : Well-written policies help organizations comply with legal and regulatory requirements. They can address specific legal obligations, industry standards, and ethical considerations, reducing the risk of legal disputes and penalties.

Risk Management : Policies help mitigate potential hazards, making them essential for managing risks within a business establishment. They typically cover several areas: security, safety, financial, and data protection. They also help prevent adverse events.

Accountability and Transparency : Policies set the expectations and standards for an organization’s responsibilities, roles, and behavior. They excellently promote accountability among employees while ensuring transparency in every decision-making process .

Efficient Decision-Making : Policies establish a pretty solid framework for decision-making. Managers, as well as employees, make quick and highly informed choices confidently using policies.

Employee Guidance : Policies provide workers with a reference point for their benefits, rights, and obligations within the company. They can address issues like leave policies, performance evaluations, and grievance procedures, helping to create a positive and supportive work environment.

Organizational Culture : Policies can reflect the organization’s values and promote a positive culture. They support diversity and inclusion efforts, ethical conduct, and other initiatives that align with the organization’s mission and vision.

Resource Allocation : Policies can help allocate resources effectively by defining priorities and providing guidelines for resource distribution. This ensures that resources are utilized productively and strategically.

Conflict Resolution : When conflicts arise within an organization, policies are the reference point for resolving all disputes objectively and impartially. This prevents favoritism or bias during decision-making.

Adaptability and Growth : Policies are generally not set in concrete or stone. They evolve as the organization expands or grows over time. Regularly reviewing and updating policies allows organizations to adapt to new challenges and opportunities.

Stakeholder Confidence : Policies enhance the utmost confidence of company stakeholders, such as partners, investors, and customers, as they demonstrate that the organization functions with structured and responsible approaches.

Cons of Policy Writing

Policy writing has its share of challenges. Some of the cons of policy writing include the following:

Complexity and Length : Policies often require detailed explanations and can be lengthy, leading to potential confusion for employees or stakeholders needing help understanding the policy’s intricacies.

Bureaucracy : The policy development process can be bureaucratic and time-consuming. Multiple levels of approval, revisions, and consultations may slow down the implementation of necessary policies.

Lack of Clarity : Poorly written policies may result in confusion, misinterpretation, and ineffective implementation, undermining the policy’s goals.

Resistance to Change : Employees may resist new policies, especially if they perceive them as burdensome or constraining. Resistance can hinder effective implementation and adherence.

Responsibilities of Policy Owners

The policymaker has several key responsibilities to ensure the effective implementation and adherence to organizational policies. These responsibilities are crucial for maintaining a compliant working environment.

Here are the primary duties of policy owners:

Policy Development : Policy owners are accountable for creating and formulating new or updated policies. They must conduct thorough research, gather relevant information, and involve relevant stakeholders to ensure policies are comprehensive and aligned with the organization’s goals.

Policy Communication : Policy owners are responsible for effectively communicating policies to all relevant parties. They must ensure employees understand the policies, purpose, and implications. Clear communication helps minimize misunderstandings and ensures consistent adherence throughout the organization.

Implementation : Policy owners play a pivotal role in implementing policies effectively. They must collaborate with various departments to seamlessly integrate policies into their workflows and operations.

Compliance Monitoring : Regularly monitoring policy compliance is crucial to identify deviations or potential issues. Policy owners should establish mechanisms for tracking adherence and conduct periodic reviews to assess the effectiveness of policies.

Training and Education : Policy owners must provide employees with adequate training and educational resources to ensure successful implementation. This helps raise policy awareness and equips staff members with the knowledge and skills to follow them.

Documentation : Properly documenting policies, their development process, and any changes made are essential. Policy owners should maintain comprehensive records to track the policy lifecycle and facilitate auditing and reporting.

Revisions and Updates : Policies should be revised and updated over time. This is essential so they reflect the prevailing changes in organizational requirements. Policy owners should go through them regularly. If needed, give those policies a little shake-up to match the latest trends and changes.

Policy writing is crucial to any organization or business. To start writing policies, here are some significant do’s and don’ts, including things you should consider before writing your organization’s policy.

Do’s and Don’ts of Policy Writing

What to Consider Before Writing a Policy

Before writing a policy for your organization, you need to consider the following:

Policy Objective : Clearly outline the primary goal of the policy. What problem does it seek to address? What outcomes are expected?

Scope and Applicability : Define the scope of the policy—which departments, processes, or individuals does it cover? Determine whether it applies organization-wide or to specific divisions.

Communication and Training : Plan how the policy will be communicated to employees and stakeholders. Consider providing training to ensure understanding and compliance.

Timeline : Set clear timelines for policy implementation, review, and updates.

Resources and Implementation : Consider the resources required for effective policy implementation, including training, technology, and personnel.

Risks and Impact Assessment : Evaluate the potential risks associated with the policy and assess its impact on different stakeholders.

Legal and Regulatory Compliance : Ensure the policy aligns with relevant laws, regulations, and industry standards.

Guidelines for Writing a Policy

The following are the guidelines you should follow when writing a policy for your organization:

● Title: Choose a clear, descriptive title reflecting the policy’s purpose.

● Policy Statement: Begin with a policy brief statement that clearly states the purpose and objectives of the policy.

● Definitions: Include a section that defines any specific terms or concepts used in the policy.

● Policy Content: Present the policy in a logical and organized manner. Use headings and subheadings to break down complex sections.

● Responsibilities: Clearly outline the responsibilities of individuals or departments involved in implementing and enforcing the policy.

● Procedures: If necessary, include detailed procedures or steps for compliance.

● Review and Approval: Specify the process for policy review, approval, and any amendments.

● Formatting and Accessibility: Ensure the policy is presented consistently and is easily accessible to all relevant parties.

A well-structured policy document is crucial for clear communication and effective implementation. It should begin with a concise title that reflects the policy’s purpose.

Format of a policy document

A standard policy typically consists of the following sections:

● Introduction: Provides an overview of the policy’s intent and importance.

● Scope: Defines the boundaries and applicability of the policy.

● Policy Statement: Clearly states the policy’s objectives and the expected behavior or actions.

● Procedures: Describes the step-by-step process for compliance or implementation.

● Responsibilities: Outlines the roles and duties of individuals or departments involved.

● Compliance and Enforcement: Specifies consequences for non-compliance and mechanisms for enforcement.

● Definitions: Clarifies any technical terms or jargon used in the policy.

● References: Includes citations to laws, regulations, or other relevant policies.

● Revision History: Include a record of changes made to the policy over time.

● Contact Information: Provide details for individuals or departments that can address questions or concerns related to the policy.

Design and Layout of a Policy Document

Having gotten the format correctly, the next thing is to design the policy document. A well-designed policy document should be:

● Clear and Readable: Use a legible font, appropriate font size, and ample white space to enhance readability.

● Organized: Utilize headings, subheadings, and bullet points to break down information into manageable sections.

● Consistent: Maintain a uniform format throughout the document for a professional look.

● Visually Appealing: Incorporate relevant images, graphs, or charts to illustrate key points and make the document engaging.

● Accessible: Ensure the document can be easily accessed in various formats, including digital and print.

● Branding: Adhere to the organization’s branding guidelines, including color schemes and logos.

● Table of Contents: Include a highly detailed table of contents for easy navigation.

Writing Style for a Policy

What writing style should you adopt? Writing style is crucial to ensure policy documents are understandable and user-friendly. There are different writing styles, but ensure that whichever you choose, take note of the following.

● Use simple and unambiguous language. Avoid passive voice, jargon, and technical terms when possible.

● Write formally, maintaining a consistent voice throughout the document.

● Be precise, leaving no room for interpretation.

● Use short sentences and paragraphs; keep them concise.

● Use active voice to make the document more direct and engaging.

● Address the audience directly, using words like “you” and “your” to convey responsibilities.

● Be inclusive and considerate of diverse audiences.

More Policy Tips and Best Practices

● Involve relevant stakeholders in policy development to gain valuable insights and ensure buy-in.

● Regularly review and update policies to align with changing laws, regulations, and organizational needs.

● Ensure consistency across all policies within the organization.

● Provide training and resources to help employees effectively understand and comply with policies.

● Use real-life examples or scenarios to illustrate policy application.

● Make the policy accessible by publishing it on internal platforms or intranet sites.

● Implement a feedback mechanism for employees to raise questions or seek clarifications regarding the policy.

● Consider seeking legal advice and review for critical policies, to ensure compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.

Following these policy writing tips and best practices will result in well-structured, user-friendly, and effective policies that support organizational goals and ensure compliance.

Implementing a new policy within an organization involves three key steps: policy implementation, policy compliance management, and considerations related to policy legalities.

Let’s explore each of these aspects:

Policy Implementation Process

● Policy Development: This is the stage where the policy is formulated. It involves identifying the need for a new policy, conducting research, and involving relevant stakeholders in its creation.

● Policy Documentation: The policy must be documented clearly, outlining its purpose, scope, objectives, and the responsibilities of individuals and departments involved in its implementation.

● Communication: Once the policy is finalized, it is crucial to communicate it effectively throughout the organization. This includes sharing the policy document, providing training sessions or workshops, and ensuring all employees understand the policy’s importance and implications.

● Resource Allocation: Adequate resources must be allocated to implement the policy successfully. This may include budgetary considerations, personnel, and technological resources.

● Piloting and Testing: In some cases, piloting the policy in a smaller, controlled environment to identify any potential issues or areas of improvement before a full-scale implementation is beneficial.

● Rollout: The policy is officially launched across the organization, and all relevant parties are expected to adhere to it.

● Policy Review and Updates: Policies should be reviewed periodically, and updates may be required to keep them aligned with changing circumstances, regulations, or organizational needs.

Policy Compliance Management

● Training and Education: Employees should receive proper training and education on the policy’s requirements and implications to ensure they understand their responsibilities and the importance of compliance.

● Monitoring and Auditing: Regular monitoring and auditing—i.e., internal and external assessments—should be established to assess compliance levels.

● Enforcement and Consequences: A clear framework for enforcement and consequences for non-compliance should be established. This could range from corrective actions and retraining to disciplinary measures, depending on the severity of the breach.

● Continuous Improvement: Based on monitoring and feedback, adjustments to the policy or compliance management processes should be made to improve effectiveness. Remember that your organization may be liable for outdated or inconsistently enforced policies.

Policy Legalities

● Legal Review: Before implementing a policy, it is of utmost importance to scrutinize it thoughtfully by seasoned legal experts. This prudent step ensures its complete adherence to all applicable laws, regulations, and industry standards.

● Risk Evaluation: Embark on a comprehensive risk assessment journey to identify potential legal pitfalls entwined with the policy. Armed with these insights, policy owners can deftly navigate the landscape and apply appropriate measures to mitigate such risks effectively.

● Privacy and Data Protection: Should the noble policy encompass the handling of sensitive data, it becomes essential to uphold relevant data protection and privacy laws dutifully. Safeguarding the personal information entrusted to any organization is a sacred responsibility to embrace.

● Employee Rights: The policy should exquisitely respect the inherent rights of every valued employee. No provision should infringe upon employment laws or collective bargaining agreements, fostering an environment of harmony and mutual understanding.

● Public Policy Considerations: Policies should align with broader public policy objectives and not conflict with societal norms or values.

● It’s crucial to involve relevant stakeholders from the early stages of policy development to ensure buy-in and cooperation.

Below are some policy writing samples that can be examples for readers.

[Your Organization Name]

[Policy Name]

Version: [Version Number]

Effective Date: [Effective Date]

Last Updated: [Last Updated Date]

[Policy Introduction]

[Briefly explain the purpose and scope of the policy. Describe the key goals and objectives it aims to achieve.]

[Policy Section 1]

[Policy Description]

[Provide a detailed explanation of the policy, including the rules, guidelines, or standard operating procedures that employees, contractors, or other relevant parties must follow. Use clear and concise language to ensure easy understanding.]

[Policy Compliance]

[State the consequences of non-compliance with the policy. This may include disciplinary actions or penalties.]

[Policy Responsibilities]

[Clearly outline the roles and responsibilities of individuals or departments involved in implementing the policy. This section should identify who is accountable for ensuring compliance and enforcing the policy.]

[Policy Section 2]

[Repeat the structure for each subsequent policy section, as needed.]

[Policy Review and Updates]

[Explain the process for reviewing and updating the policy. Include information about how often the policy will be reviewed, who is responsible for updates, and how changes will be communicated to the relevant stakeholders.]

[Policy Approval]

[List the individuals or departments that have approved the policy. Include names, positions, and dates of approval.]

[Policy Acknowledgment]

[Mention how employees or relevant parties must acknowledge and understand the policy. This may involve signing a form or completing an acknowledgment process.]

[Contact Information]

[Provide contact details for individuals or departments that employees can contact if they have questions or need clarification about the policy.]

[Policy Document Control]

[Explain how the policy will be stored, accessed, and version-controlled to ensure the most current version is readily available to all relevant parties.]

[Policy Related Documents]

[List any related documents, procedures, or guidelines employees should refer to when implementing the policy.]

[Policy Revision History]

[Keep a log of changes made to the policy, including version numbers, dates of updates, and brief descriptions of changes. Make sure to follow your organization’s existing style guide and formatting standards.]

These policy writing samples and case studies demonstrate the versatility and efficiency of SweetProcess in managing policies effectively across various organizations and scenarios.

SweetProcess offers you a free policy templates handbook. This contains 53 policy and procedure templates . However, here is an excellent template for writing a policy:

[Your Organization/Company Name]

[Policy Number]

Effective Date: [Date]

Policy Statement

[Provide a clear and concise statement outlining the policy’s purpose and intent. This statement should define the scope of the policy and the desired outcomes.]

[Explain the rationale behind the policy and its significance within the organization. Describe why the policy is implemented and how it aligns with the organization’s goals and values.]

[Specify the extent and boundaries of the policy. Define who or what the policy applies to within the organization. Mention any exceptions or exclusions if applicable.]

Policy Details

[Present the specific policy details in a clear and organized manner. Use bullet points or numbered lists to break complex information into easily understandable sections.]

4.1. [Policy Subsection 1]

[Explain the first aspect or subsection of the policy. Include any rules, guidelines, or procedures related to this subsection. Provide clear instructions on how to comply with the policy manual.]

4.2. [Policy Subsection 2]

[Explain the second aspect or subsection of the policy. Repeat the same format as above, providing clear instructions and guidelines for compliance.]

4.3. [Policy Subsection 3, and so on…]

[Continue with additional subsections as necessary.]

Responsibilities

[Outline the responsibilities of different individuals or organizational roles regarding implementing, enforcing, and monitoring the policy.]

5.1. [Role 1]

[Specify the responsibilities of the first role and how they contribute to the policy’s effectiveness.]

5.2. [Role 2]

[Specify the responsibilities of the second role and how they contribute to the policy’s effectiveness.]

5.3. [Role 3, and so on…]

[Continue with additional roles and their corresponding responsibilities.]

[Explain the steps individuals or entities must take to comply with the policy. Include information about reporting mechanisms, training requirements, and any potential consequences for non-compliance.]

Review and Revision

[Describe the process and frequency of policy review to ensure it remains up-to-date and effective. Specify who is responsible for conducting the review and any mechanisms for seeking stakeholder feedback.]

[Indicate the names and titles of individuals or bodies responsible for approving the policy. Include the date of approval.]

Related Policies

[List any other relevant policies related to or impacted by this policy. Provide references and cross-links to these policies if available.]

[Provide contact information for individuals or departments that can answer questions or provide assistance regarding the policy.]

[Include any necessary attachments or appendices that support the policy, such as forms, guidelines, or legal references.]

Remember to tailor the policy template to your organization’s needs and requirements while maintaining clarity and coherence throughout the document.

Do you want to avoid grappling with disorganized policies that lead to confusion and inefficiency within your organization? It’s time to streamline your operations and drive success with SweetProcess. Take the first step toward a more organized and thriving business. Sign up for SweetProcess today and witness its positive impact on your organization’s growth and prosperity. Your path to streamlined success awaits.

What does a company policy look like?

A company policy’s specific content and structure may vary depending on the organization’s size, industry, and specific needs. However, here are some common elements in a typical company policy: policy title, statement, scope, definitions, objectives, responsibilities, procedures, compliance, and reporting mechanisms.

What is the difference between a policy and a procedure?

A policy guides an organization, setting goals and direction with clarity. A procedure outlines specifics and provides roadmaps for tasks. Combining policies and procedures ensures streamlined operations and consistency, effectively propelling the company toward its goals.

How long should a policy be?

The length of a good policy should be concise and clear, focusing on conveying essential information. Avoid unnecessary details and use straightforward language to ensure comprehension. Aiming for one to five pages is generally ideal, but it ultimately depends on the complexity and scope of the policy.

How to Write a Standard Operating Procedure

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34 responses to “How to Write a Policy for Your Business and Employees”

I need help about an organisational policy that is effective please can you show me

Can you share more details about this on the comment or if you prefer to send an email to [email protected]

Great info. However, I find the very thin font extremely straining on my eyes with the white background.

Thanks for your feedback. We have made improvements.

i got very interesting evidence thanks

Good to know.

The information was insightful Thank you

Glad you found our article insightful.

I am appointed as a new HR and charge with policy development for a hospitality company, can you help with any template? [email protected]

Thanks for reaching out, we sent you an email and looking forward to your response.

Hi! This is a great and helpful guide given how detailed it is, most especially to those who has no background yet on how to create a policy. However, may I ask if I can have this article in a PDF format so I could print and take note of the highly important parts? Would greatly appreciate if it’s possible. Thank you.

Glad you like our article. Simply use the print function of your browser to print the entire article and yes you can choose the option to save to PDF.

I am a newly appointed HR in a restaurant in charge of developing policies. what kind of template can i use?

A starting point will be to Google “restaurant policies and procedures” you might get some templates which you can build upon.

Please l really need to know the procedures or step in writing up policies and the policies write-up samples.

Great question! When documenting a procedure for the first time, focus on keeping it simple and then collaborating with your employees afterward to improve upon it.

We will be glad to show you how our software SweetProcess makes documenting procedures, processes, and policies so easy. Email [email protected] for a demo.

well done, easy to understand and practical for anyone to start writing their own policies

Thanks Priscilla, glad you approve.

I am tasked to come up with the laboratory proficiency testing approach for my lab, any advice please

Hullo…this was really helpful. I need a template too. Thanks in advance

This is really helpful, thanks so much

Thanks a lot. You made my task easier with the guides that you have shared.

I need your company to help prepare a good policies and procedures , for nursing staffing agency .please help me out.

thanks for the helpful guide. can you help me with a structure of drafting a new policy for an NGO…. youth policy

Hi Michael, you can use our SweetAI to generate any policy you are working on. Once the content is generate you can edit and improve upon it.

This is a great guide for writing policies! I’m new to this and this guide has been very helpful.

Glad you like it and thanks for your compliment.

I have added some knowledge today well explained on how to write a policy

Glad you found value in our article.

I’ve recently been appointed to develop different policies for point of sales managment and for damaged goods. Can you help me put these together

Yes we can! Specifically you can use our artificial intelligence SweetAI to document your policies. Sign up for a free trial of SweetProcess to see for yourself.

Great article. Do policies need a document number as well as a version number? Thanks!

It depends on your specific needs.

What Should We Include In Our Homeschool Co-op Handbook?

Please Share With Your Friends!

Last Updated on August 19, 2023 by Sarah McCubbin

If you are starting a new homeschool co-op, you are probably wondering what you should include in your homeschool co-op handbook. Below I will outline the purpose and different parts of a handbook. There is also a sample handbook you can download to give you an idea of what you might include.

When I took over leading a homeschool co-op, I quickly realized that the handbook was going to save me. When people would come up to me with questions, it removed so much stress that I could simply pick up the handbook and answer questions right from the book. It eliminated giving subjective answers and prevented me from making emotional decisions on the spot. The handbook was written before I became a leader and I’m so thankful for the women who took the time to do it well.

When you write your handbook well, you will save yourself time and energy and you will be helping everyone in the group and future leaders communicate clearly. Find a free sample handbook and other resources in our Resource Library.

When families are looking for a new co-op to join, I point them to my Homeschool Co-op Checklist as way to determine if it is the group for them. Many of those checklist items could also be used in a homeschool co-op handbook.

Table of Contents

Purpose of the Handbook

The purpose of a well-written homeschool co-op handbook is two-fold. First, it helps new and existing members know what to expect when they join your co-op. It lets them know whether their values are the same as your values and it lets them know how different issues will be handled.

Second, the homeschool co-op handbook will help your leadership when people have questions. The default answer to most questions should be, “Let me look in the handbook.” When that becomes the default answer, people in your group will begin to rely on the handbook for most answers and you will not need to answer the same questions over and over.

A well-written homeschool co-op handbook also prevents a lot of miscommunication. If leaders have a book to default to, they won’t feel the pressure to make up answers to problems on the spot. The handbook becomes the “bad guy,” which is so helpful when you are trying to navigate people problems.

Recommended Sections in the Homeschool Co-op Handbook

Your homeschool co-op handbook will have many different sections. As you write each section, consider what you would want to know as a prospective family, a current family and as a co-op leader. You are creating a resource now that will prevent many problems in the future and will help you solve other problems very quickly. The sections below are recommended because they deal with the BIG issues that families want to know coming to your group. I would start with these areas and then build out the other policy areas when your core book is written.

Leadership Contact info: This is a helpful section where you can list each of your leaders names, positions, and contact information so that people can easily reach out if they have questions.
Mission Statement : When you organize your group, you should create a mission statement that might include your core values or vision statement so that families who are considering joining have an idea of whether their values and your values are in alignment.
Membership Process : Do you have specific steps that people must take in order to join your group? This is a great place to spell out those steps in a very clear table-like fashion so that they make sure they complete all the steps by the due dates that you specify.
Fees & Payment/ Refund Policy : obviously money is important so you want to spell out all the fees that you have as well as payment due dates and any refund policies you have so that there are no misunderstandings later.
General Policies : I have a list of general policies listed in the section below that you may want to include. You should include all your general policies in your handbook again just to make sure everyone stays on the same page.
Parent Responsibilities : each group is different and the parent responsibilities in each group will be different. If your group is a volunteer-based co-op, then you will need to list out the expectations for your volunteers. Or if your group operates differently, you still want to spell out the expectations for parents whether they can leave the building whether they stay on site, what their expectations are during the co-op day, and if they have any outside responsibilities you want to spell that out as well.
Student Responsibilities This helpful to include the expectations for student behavior and participation in class in your handbook. By making a list of expectations, you can then review that with the students and make sure all students agree & off before joining your co-op. Having this list is very helpful because when you need to deal with discipline problems, you can refer back to this list and remind students of what they agreed to when they joined co-op.
Conflict Resolution Policy : homeschool families can have conflict just like anyone else and it is important to have the steps that people should take if they have a conflict they need to handle. I’ve included a link to a sample conflict resolution policy for you to see. I would say that when you create your conflict resolution policy, it is important to write your policy in a way that you let people know what to do if they’re conflict is with your leadership team. If your leadership team is one part of the conflict or one side, how should people go about resolving that as well as conflicts between individuals.
Discipline Policy : hopefully our group will not have very many discipline issues. However, if you do have a discipline problem that requires no more attention, it is helpful to have a discipline policy, spelling out the steps people need to take or the steps that will be taken. If if the situation is not remedied, what happens after the first offense, second offense, their defense, etc. This is helpful. If you have a situation where it looks like a child’s behavior is dangerous for everyone else or where it could become dangerous and you’re trying to make take impartial steps to solve the problem in a way that is also not very personal and completely directed at the person making the bad choices.
Facility & Storage Guidelines : Whether your group is meeting in a church, a community center or any other space, they will have expectations about how their building is used. It is important to ask the facility what their expectations are and relay them to the members.
Code of Conduct : Similar to the facility guidelines, the code of conduct relays any behavior expectations the facility may have. This might be things like, “No running in the sanctuary or food is only allowed in the fellowship hall.”
Job Descriptions : If you have descriptions of the roles of each of your volunteers, this is the place to include that. You might include a description of expectations for your teachers, helpers, cleaning crew, field trip coordinator, party coordinator etc. Any details you include here will make it easier for those individuals to do their job well.

In your homeschool co-op handbook, you will have many policies. These can be reviewed and updated every year. On our leadership team, we would update our policies annually to make any clarifications or add new policies to deal with new problems.

Ideas for General Policies

Visitor Policy : When people want to visit your co-op, what are the rules for them to come? Do they need to let you know ahead of time? Do they come only on special days? Visitor days are often a good idea and prevent visitors from regularly disrupting your classes.
Adult / Child Safety & Background Checks : many insurance policies will want you to have your safety guidelines in place for your co-op. This may mean spelling out how children and adults interact. It may also mean that you require background checks for all adults. You should check with your insurance company to see what their requirements are and be sure to include it in your handbook.
Special Circumstances : well, you may have standard requirements for all families to participate, you will find that there are some families who have special circumstances which prevent them from meeting the volunteer or financial requirements. How does your group want to handle people making special requests so that they can still participate.
Maintaining Membership : You may want to spell out the terms of continued participation in your group. If a family joins and then is repeatedly absent, this policy will give you parameters for letting them continue to come or letting them rejoin the next year. For example, if someone misses more than 5 days, maybe they do not get to come back the next year. Or maybe they do not qualify for priority registration or whatever guideline you are comfortable with in your group. Offering this policy up front prevents a lot of hard feelings later.
Leave of Absence : If your group offers something like priority registration for current members, people who need to take a year off co-op may wonder how they can still maintain that priority status. Or if someone needs to take an absence mid-year and still be a member in good standing, this policy will spell out the terms of that arrangement.
Resignation Policy : This policy spells out what should happen if a member decides to resign from co-op and stop coming. Do you want them to notify verbally or would you like them to write you a letter so that that can be entered into your records.
Termination Policy : This policy is one you will not use very often. Hopefully, however, it is the terms whereby someone may be terminated or removed from your co-op.
Homework Policy : how you handle homework and a homeschool co-op should be clearly defined. Some groups want a very academic experience and therefore require that students do homework and turn it in on time to maintain that academic experience for everyone. However, not all groups are the same and not all teachers are the same. You may have different requirements for different age groups and having a homework policy will prevent a lot of misunderstanding and keep everyone on the same page.
Grading Policy : similar to the homework policy is your grading policy. Homeschool parents are ultimately responsible for the grades they give their children. But if your group is offering grading as part of the homeschool co-op experience, then you want to spell out the terms of that grading. Do grade tests only degrade homework? Where are these grades posted? Those kinds of things. Putting these in the handbook ahead of time is very helpful because often new families will peruse your handbook to get an idea of whether this is a good group for them.
Dress Code : address code is important if you want to maintain certain standards. It doesn’t need to be anything very complicated or super detailed, but it should spell out the basic clothing guidelines that you or possibly your church are requiring.
Cell Phone Policy: technology is obviously something we all have to deal with and spelling out. Your cell phone policy in advance is important. You will need to clarify this policy with the teachers and the parents and the students and you may find that you need to adjust slightly from year to year to work out implementation of this policy.
Absences & Illness Policy: This policy is one that should spell out what family should do if they have an absence or illness. Additionally, it should also spell out when you absolutely do not want someone to come to your group. For example, during COVID We had very specific guidelines about fevers and coughs and aches and chills and things like that. You may want to have a specific list of things and whether the rest of the family can come or whether the whole family needs to stay home if someone is ill.
Announcement Policy : This is a good place to list where you will make your announcements for co-op. This should be a place that people regularly check. If you have an emergency or last minute announcement. Are you going to email it to them? Do you have a remind text type app? Are you using your forum post where the announcements for your group will be made so people can check that on their co-op days.
Snacks & Allergy: If your group will be providing snacks or any kind of food you need to have this policy clearly spelled out. How do you handle snacks? What about kids with allergies? What should those families expect to do? Do they need to provide an alternative snack? Those kinds of questions are helpful for families making these decisions.
Snow/Bad Weather If you live in an area where there is bad weather or you might have snow days, it is important to list how you make the decision to call off co-op. Do you rely on the local school districts calling off or do you have other ways of deciding whether you will call off school for the day.

Optional Sections in Handbook

In addition to the policy sections listed above, you may want to include in your homeschool co-op handbook these additional sections:

Important dates for the year
Registration forms
Photo waivers
Field trip waivers
Any other important forms

Designing Your Homeschool Co-op Handbook

As you begin the process of writing and designing your homeschool co-op handbook, I recommend keeping it simple and functional. A beautifully designed handbook is wonderful but if it requires special software or special skill to update then it will be unnecessarily difficult to update.

The handbook below is a modified version of one from the group I was in. I have permission to share it with you. It was written in Microsoft Word with beautiful formatting. However, the formatting made it so difficult to edit that only the original author could edit it every year. When she moved, the group could not easily edit the handbook!!

One simple free option is to write your handbook in Google Docs. It is easy to write in, easy to edit and easy to share. Several authors can collaborate together. Different settings will let members be editors, commenters or just viewers.

Sample Homeschool Co-op Handbook

Your Handbook Is A Gift To You & Your Members

Before I sign off here, I just want to encourage you with this thought…your handbook is a gift. It really is. Most of us hate rules…at least I do. However, a carefully written handbook isn’t just a bunch of rules. It is guidelines…and you have the chance to explain the policy right there in the handbook. “This policy exists to accomplish XYZ….” I have found that when people know why a policy exists, they are much more likely to embrace it and go along with it even if its not their favorite.

Happy Homeschool Co-op Handbook writing!

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The four planks of an effective homework policy
A good homework policy therefore needs to be able to easily pick up students who have not completed the work. It then needs to feed into the general classroom culture of accountability and school-wide policies. 4. Value.
How to Write the Perfect Homework Policy
3‭. ‬The purpose of homework‭ ‬. The school regards the purpose of homework as being to‭:‬. As a school‭, ‬we encourage children to pursue out-of-school activities‭. ‬Homework should be used to effectively reinforce and/or extend what is learned in school‭. ‬We hope that children will feel a sense of personal ...
Creating a Homework Policy With Meaning and Purpose
Assigning homework with a purpose means that through completing the assignment, the student will be able to obtain new knowledge, a new skill, or have a new experience that they may not otherwise have. Homework should not consist of a rudimentary task that is being assigned simply for the sake of assigning something. Homework should be meaningful.
Advice on Creating Homework Policies
As students get into higher grades, the type of assignments will focus on writing with a pen or pencil. The age of the student must be considered and the goal is to create a strong foundation for the future. Involve the parents. Getting parents involved in the homework policy will encourage students to study and complete the assigned tasks.
Homework Policy
Step 1: Conduct a Survey. In general, conducting a survey is the first step in formulating policies. In this case, you need to survey the students regarding their homework duties. Your survey form must ask the right questions, such as how homework affects them mentally and how useful it is in the lesson plan.
Homework policy: examples
Primary school. Shadwell Primary School in Leeds has a homework policy that covers: When pupils take books home for reading. How long they should spend reading at home. English and maths homework. Spelling and times tables expectations. Additional half-termly homework tasks, such as a learning log and key instant recall facts.
The Do's and Don'ts of Good Homework Policy
When there is going to be some homework, I want them to begin it in class so that I can help answer any questions or clarify directions. Do's. Students are more likely to complete assignments if they have an audience. Much of the work done in my class is shared and/or displayed.
The power of a good homework policy
A good homework policy creates transparency for parents. It helps them to understand the value the school places on homework and what the learning objectives are. If parents understand this, it will help set a foundation for them to be engaged in their child's education. #4 Gives students a routine and creates good habits.
How to Write the Perfect Homework Policy
Write. Team Satchel. ... We've created our own Homework Policy that you can adapt for use in your school or use as an outline when creating your own policy: 1‭. ‬Introduction.
Homework Policies: Loosen Up a Little
Here are some of the policies other teachers have shared with me. Try using these strategies to build flexibility into your homework policies and avoid having to ask for (or deal with) excuses: Requesting that a certain percentage of assignments be turned in on time: "You are responsible for 37 out of 40 of the assignments you'll be getting ...
A Simple, Effective Homework Plan For Teachers: Part 1
Here is how to do it. 1. Assign what students already know. Most teachers struggle with homework because they misunderstand the narrow purpose of homework, which is to practice what has already been learned. Meaning, you should only assign homework your students fully understand and are able to do by themselves.
How To Create An Effective Homework Policy In School?
It encourages time management and responsibility while reinforcing the importance of daily practice. 3. Feedback and Assessment: Use homework for formative assessment, providing constructive feedback to guide students' progress. This feedback loop helps identify areas of strength and areas needing improvement.
Thinking About a No Homework Policy? Here's What You Should Know
The teacher decides the amount of homework to be given and should do so based on the classroom's and school's needs. After all, all schools are different because no one school serves the same ...
Homework policies
Here, under 'homework resources' we include Knowledge Organisers, homework booklets and general revision guidance. 🏆Rewards and Praise - 10/31 schools have at least one reference that is specific to homework. 20/31 schools have general 'rewards and praise' statements under their "Behaviour" policies, and these are not specific ...
Outlining Simple Homework Guidelines for K-8 Teachers
The following chart adapted from the National Education Associations recommendations can be used as a resource for teachers in Kindergarten through the 8 th grade. Grade Level. Recommended Amount of Homework Per Night. Kindergarten. 5 - 15 minutes. 1 st Grade. 10 - 20 minutes. 2 nd Grade. 20 - 30 minutes.
A Strategic Homework Policy in 3 Steps
The last step is at least as important as the first two steps. A nice document is not enough. The policy must actually work. The structure is the magic word here. By paying attention to the elaboration of the homework policy systematically and for a longer period, you ensure a lasting effect.
Three Classroom Policies And Procedures You Need to Consider
Keep your list of rules short; 4-6 is about right. A common set of classroom expectations are listed below (feel free to use them in your class!):: Be respectful of yourself and others. Use language that is not vulgar or hurtful. Act in a way that supports learning for all members of the class.
Effective Classroom Policies and Procedures
Homework. All assigned homework will be sent home in a take-home folder each night. A list of spelling words will be sent home each Monday and will be tested on Friday. Students will also receive a math, language arts, or other homework sheet each night as well. All homework must be turned in the following day unless stated otherwise.
How to Write Policies: A Beginner's Guide to Policy Writing for
Be clear. When writing policies, clarity should be your number one priority. The goal is to ensure that everyone understands the policy, which means using simple language and avoiding long, wordy sentences. As a baseline for all of your policies, avoid jargon or technical terms that may be difficult to understand. 4.
No Homework Policy: One Year Later
First of all, here is the homework philosophy that we presented to parents and students at the beginning of the school year. (If you'd like to use it, I've added the full text at the end of the post so that you can copy, paste, and edit as you wish.) You can see that we didn't COMPLETELY do away with homework, but we did do away with 99% ...
How to Write a Policy: The Only Guide You Need to Read
Managing your policies is very easy with SweetProcess. The platform is flexible and allows for edits and updates. Step 1: Select the policy you wish to edit. Step 2: Click the "Edit" tab to edit the policy. Step 3: Click on the "Actions" tab on the top right corner of your screen if you intend to perform other actions.
How to write a work-from-home policy that works
Open communication: Specify that it's OK for employees to tell their manager when they need personal or professional support. Make up for the lack of in-person interaction by encouraging strong communication. Aholt also says that companies should work with their general counsel to make sure their work-from-home policies are ADA compliant.
What Should We Include In Our Homeschool Co-op Handbook?
Second, the homeschool co-op handbook will help your leadership when people have questions. The default answer to most questions should be, "Let me look in the handbook.". When that becomes the default answer, people in your group will begin to rely on the handbook for most answers and you will not need to answer the same questions over and ...
AP Credit Policy Search
AP Credit Policy Search Your AP scores could earn you college credit or advanced placement (meaning you could skip certain courses in college). Use this tool to find colleges that offer credit or placement for AP scores.
How to ask about remote work policy in a job interview
Here's the right way to ask about work-from-home policy. Asking about remote work during a job interview could raise some red flags to the hiring manager. Here's the right way to ask about work ...

How to Write the Perfect Homework Policy

1‭. ‬Introduction

2‭. ‬Homework‭ - ‬A definition

3‭. ‬The purpose of homework‭ ‬

4‭. ‬Current practice‭ ‬

5‭. ‬Time to be spent completing homework

6‭. ‬Pupil feedback

7‭. ‬Where to access the school homework policy

8‭. ‬Reviewing the policy

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Homework Policy

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What Is a Homework Policy?

The Purpose of Homework in Schools

How to Create a Homework Policy

Step 1: Conduct a Survey

Step 2: Communicate with Faculty

Step 3: Write Down the Regulations

Step 4: Add the Homework Policy to the Student and Teacher Handbook

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A Strategic Homework Policy in 3 Steps

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Step 1: Every strategic policy starts with insight and overview

Step 2: Set goals and write down the policy

Step 3: Evaluate and adjust