Homework madness

[emkana]

I read today that for 11 year olds the recommendations are that they should do between 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 hours of homework a day. So if school finishes at half past three, then they go home, have something to eat, then do homework - they're finished at six. Isn't that complete and utter madness? When are our children supposed to have a life outside school?
It's still a long way off for my dd's, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to support such recommendations - even though I used to be a secondary school teacher myself.

[popsycal]

WHAT!?!?
Our year 5 kids get 30-60 mins homework 3 times per week.....that to me is more than enough (too much IMHO)

[popsycal]

meant year 5 and 6

[jampot]

dd now gets 3-4 subjects half an hour each per night - 1.5-2 hours

[hmb]

Where did you read that? We don't set that much in our secondary, a max of 1 hour a night.

[emkana]

I just found this

still think it's too much
I read it in the Chris Woodhead advice section in the Sunday Times.
In Germany school finishes at lunchtime, but here school takes up so much of the day already, and then homework too...

[kalex]

But HMB is that for every subject in Secondary. Or for each subject?

When I was at school I had at least .5 to 1 hour per subject and had 4 subject per day! Caused lots of problems, I wasn't the best at doing homework. Once got caught cheating on Homework for Latin - the person I copied had the same mistakes! NOTE TO SELF - copy off the smart kids

[hmb]

{grin] at your note. That is over all. We say half an hour, and set it once in a week IYSWIM. So on av the kids will get an hour a day. Some days they may get more, others less, so it kind of evens out. I often give work that will take less than 30 minutes, especially to classes that I know are strugling. Better to get 15 minites of work done, than 30 missed.

[Hulababy]

At the secondary school I teach at it is less than 1.5-2 hours a night in Y7 and Y8. There is a homework timetable and pupils get either 2 or 3 pieces of homework a night, each piece to take no longer than 20 minutes. So that is a maximum of 1 hour a night. The time increases slightly in Y9 (to about 30 minutes) and again still in KS4.

[MeanBean]

I remember in the first year of secondary school we got 20 mins for the first term, then 30 mins.
In second year it was 30 mins. Third year was 40 - 45 mins. 4th year was an hour, and 5th (O'Level year) was between an hour and an hour and a half.

At A Level, it was an hour and a half a night.

Can't believe I remember it so clearly. What's wrong with me?

[emkana]

But do you MNers believe that this much homework is a good thing? Will you insist on your child spending the recommended time doing their homework? Or help them to cut corners to enable them to do other things?

[Hulababy]

I do think homework can be useful and important yes, especially when in the higher years. But a lot depends on what the homwork set is, as to how important and useful it is. Some homeworks Ihave read about on MN seem pointless and there just to create homework. I tend to try and make sure my homework either builds on something we have done in lesson - so giving them a chance to practise and retry skills, or to do something in prep for the next lesson.

But whatever homework my child gets I will try and ensure she does it. If it is too much regualrly then I will speak to the school I suspect, but other than I'd help her finish it. If nothing else it prevents her getting in trouble at school.

[Tortington]

my kids get home from school an change their uniform and get a piece of toast or something - its a long time from 12.30 -4.00 - they then sort their bags for the next day - its now 5pm. if neither of us are home they will sneak some tv for half an hour- hour. at 5.30-6.00 - we START homework ( and we havent even eaten yet) whilst running into the kitchen to not burn anything and running to the internet to find the french for calculator! - we eat at 7pm - then go back to homework if there is still some left.

it can easily be 7-8pm before homework is completed.

homework is completed on the dining room table and i sit there and help as much as i can three children all at different levels. i sometimes get annoyed - its very stressful for me as a parent. my dh sometimes helps especially at maths or science, but some evenings he works.

last monday i yes me had this homework to help my children complete.

30 word book review, make a book mark which had to include school subjects represented on it.

500 word ICT project plan for GCSE. type it up and e - mail it to school.

stick in Drama rules to book

cover all the sodding books.

i shit you not when i say that i didn't finish and neither did the kids until 9pm - they went to bed. i was pissed off at all this to do on my own ( single parents with multiple children beware) and even more pissed off that i had done a 14 hour day including work. more more pissed off that the kids had done the same with absolutley no recreation time at all.

they are still children. and i would like sometime to digest my food and have a brew and a fag TYVM!! i was livid. hopefully it evens itself out - i have a presentation in london tomorrow and i just cant do homework tonight as i will be concentrating on the stuff that brings in the money prolly wont get back from work until 8pm by which time hubby gone to do his youth club - and i bet my hairy arse they wont have completed homework - because am not there to make them!

[MeanBean]

My DS has been sent home with a reading book which he is supposed to keep for a week and then return. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do with it - there is no way he can even begin to read it as it has about 30 words per page, and he hasn't yet got to the stage of understanding that c - a - t makes cat. I've read him it, but I'm treating it as a story book, because anything else would be a waste of time. I would only support homework at this age (5) where I think it has a useful purpose. I'm not going to jeapordise my DS's enthusiasm for reading and education in general just to mindlessly support school policies which I believe to be plain wrong.

[Hulababy]

custardo - the GCSE ICT homework sounds excessive. I also do not expect my pupils to type things at home either - as it discrimantates against those without computers. When we do that kind of homework, I would have orefered to set it as a draft of a project plan, outlining key ideas. Ready to redraft and type up in full at school. Did you child only get given a night or two to do this too?


All schools (secondary at least) should have a homework policy. Ask to see it, as it should set oput how many subjects and how many minutes worth of homework each year group should get each day. I would imagoine most secondary schools also issue a homework timetable as well - so something else to ask to see (your child should have a copy but they may take a week or two to be issued from school) and monitor.

Do they have a homework planner/diary? There should also be a space each week for parental and teacher communication. You can jot down there too your feelings about homwork - especially if you think too much is given, wrong subjects on wrong days, etc. - and the form tutor should follow that up and communicate back to you.

[Tortington]

taken individually the kids didnt have too much homework - but they all need help - my 2 sons have literacy dificulties ( she says spelling it wrong)which means writing anything is long and arduos - an 30 words for ds2 can take ages - its just that all together it takes me hours to complete with the kids! i cant really moan about that to school - thats what mnet is for!
re: ICT i just assumed that if you were taking it for gcse then you would have to have a computer - but yes - that was the homework - type it attach it e-mail it. there was a couple of weeks to complete this - but if we dont do each homework the night its given we will all forget homework diary or no!

[Hulababy]

custardo - there is no requirement for children who take GCSE ICT to have access to their own computer, and certainly not to have internet and e-mail access. The school should provide those facilities. Similarly at A-level or GNVQ level. Infact, we have a bank of laptops with our sixth formers are able to borrow overnight if necessary.

If your children have literacy issues there homework should still take this into account. We have the policy where no one's homework should take them longer than a set length of time (20 minutes in Y7 and 8). For those children who have difficulties (that we are aware of) or SN then there homework should be amended accordingly - shortened, a slightly different hpomework, better materials to aid reading, etc. Your school should be ensuring that this is the case.

I would speak to the school - year head/form tutor/etc. if it is taking so long. Homework isn't so important that it should take over all night in place of other activities and relaxing/fun. School need to be made aware of it so that they can think about their policies better.

[aloha]

I think there is far too much homework full stop. I think it discriminates against children who don't have supportive home environments/quiet places to work/access to computers & internet etc. I also think that it skews the relationship between parent and child, turning time when they should be relaxing and talking together into high-pressure time when parents almost inevitably have to turn themselves into teachers and put pressure on already tired and stressed kids. Often those parents are tired and stressed themselves after they have put in a full day's work (like Custardo) and really don't need to do a night shift too. Plus we are all told as adults to finish work on time and not to take our work home for the sake of our mental health, yet our children seem absolutely deluged in work that takes up not just their whole day but their whole evening. When are children supposed to hang out with their parents, siblings and friends? Play games and read their own choice of books? Go out with their family to the beach or a museum? It seems to me that 'hanging out' time has been pretty much eradicated from children's lives. As for homework for five to eleven year olds, I completely disagree with it. Children that age are at school from 9am to 3.30pm and that, IMO, should be quite enough.

[aloha]

Hulababy's/Hulababy's school's attitude seems refreshingly sensible and sensitive. I do wish it was more typical though.

[Hulababy]

Aloha - ours has HAD to do this after going into special measures. Serious shake ups were needed, and this is one of the things they are doing. Again, though, much depends on individual departments and teachers.

[aloha]

My stepdaughter is at a private school and many's the weekend when she's been in tears over her homework - even at just seven. She's just turned 13 and coping better now. Really don't want this for ds (nearly three) as he loves to learn and am terrified that it will get knocked out of him by too much pressure/homework etc. It really does worry me. With dd we have sometimes found it hard to fit in family outings/weekends to visit relatives around the demands of homework.

[Heathcliffscathy]

i agree that in this country we give too much homework. but i also think that this is the fault of parents that somehow think they are getting value for money (if in the private sector, or just better teaching if their kids have loads of homework and arrive home at night weighed down with a satchel full of books. i think unbelievably this extends right down to nursery.

also think we start children at school way too early in this country.

[emkana]

Totally agree with you there, aloha and sophable.

But what will you do about it, aloha? Would you say to your ds "Forget the homework - we'll go out anyway?"
I think I'd be seriously tempted, but of course I wouldn't want my dd's to get into trouble.
Makes me consider home schooling, this...

[spacemonkey]

Home schooling is something well worth considering imo. I totally disagree with making children do this amount of homework after school, it's ridiculous.

[suedonim]

I agree that there is often too much homework (not a problem my 17yo dd1 seems to be suffering with, it has to be said!!!) and apart from reading I don't think it's necesary at primary level. Dd2 is now getting a little homework in P4 but it's just one piece and she has all week to complete it. She generally does it in 30mins or less.

Dd2 and I were getting overwhelmed with homework at her International school so I had a chat to the teacher. She was absolutely fine about it and said we could do as much or as little as we wanted. If anyone feels their child is getting too much homework I'd recommend speaking to the school and also to other parents - if everyone is finding it tough going then imo something is wrong with the system.

[KateandtheGirls]

My niece and nephew (age 9 and 7) get a lot of homework too. But one good thing is that they only get homework Monday through Thursday nights. Weekends are free. They have to have some time off just like adults do!