I previously worked at (and lived in) a Boarding School. As a Boarding Master I was a parent to around 35 boys and with a team of people, I was responsible for them from 3.30 after school until 8am the next morning. People with large families will know the more children there are, the more structures need to be in place to make the house run. With 35 boys, I needed to have structure.

Our weekdays included one and a half hours of study, every day of the term. The consistency of this created great habits. The boys never had issues with getting homework and assessments done. They were able to get their English novels read and do regular revision and their efforts were evident in their results.

How does one and a half hours compare to what your child does each day? There are five points I would make about this time:

• These were Year 5-7 boys. As they got older, the boys would increase homework and study by 15-30 minutes each year, so that by the time they were in Year 12 they were doing 3 hours per day, every weekday. I hope that the Year 5 boys I had were not doing more than your child is currently if they are in Years 9-12.
  
  
• The boys were not studying all of the time or for long periods of time. Many students feel one and a half hours is their whole afternoon gone but this is not the case. The boys had free time from 3.30-5.00pm, and then did 45 minutes of study/homework. They would then walk to dinner, have time playing sport or swimming, come back and have showers and call home, and then do 45 minutes from 7.30-8.15pm. They had more free time, a reflection and then went to bed, where they could read for 30 minutes before lights out. The 2 blocks of 45 minutes were a small part of a busy afternoon.
  
  
• Study time meant no phones. Studies show the negative impact of phones on focused attention, even if the phone is just on the desk and not being used. We also locked phones during studies. We also did this at night so the students did not have access to them. I would encourage you to do this – we hear many stories at school of students messaging each other throughout the night when they should be sleeping.
  
  
• These boys are competing with your child. When they reach Year 12, most students get an ATAR, which is a rank of how they do against the rest of the State. The brightest students who do not work hard will be beaten by average students who have worked hard throughout school. The boys in my care built great study habits that resulted in them doing 3 hours every day in Year 12 without feeling this is unusual. Many of the boys at the school were returning to the farm after school or hoping to play rugby – they were usually not elite students but achieved excellent ATAR’s through hard work.
  
  
• Students need a plan. In some ways, the boys I had have a big advantage of a daily routine. Students at home who find it difficult to do the required amount of homework and study need to begin planning how they are going to use their time after school and schedule in how they will study.

Starting a more comprehensive program of study and revision takes time. For some students, they may need to start with 45 minutes a day, or 2 lots of 30 minutes per day and then gradually increase the time.

Last year, I ran a study skills day for Year 12. This term I will be doing the same with Year 11 and at the end of the year I will take Year 10. If your child needs any assistance with study, please ask them to come and see me.

Secondary Photo Day - Tuesday 5 March