Time spent on homework in the secondary years is a relatively strong predictor of student success in English, math, and science. That is one of the findings of the latest report from the EPPSE project (the UK's "Effective Pre-school, Primary and Secondary Education" project), which has followed around 3,000 children since the age of 3 in 1997. Findings also indicate that the ratings given to secondary schools by Ofsted (England's school inspection body) for the "quality of learning" within a school and "attendance of learners" are good predictors of achievement and progress. For example, better progress was made by EPPSE students in the three core subjects when they attended an "outstanding" compared to an "inadequate" school in terms of the Ofsted quality rating. 

The report looks at a range of factors that influence children's success across the following domains: individual student, family, and home; pre-school; primary school; and secondary school. The report concludes that there is no one factor alone which explains achievement and development; rather, it is the combination of factors that make a difference to young people's long-term life chances.