Would love honest answers...

[RamonaThePest]

I did not go to school here.

Where I went to school there was basically no homework (except reading books) until I was eleven or twelve. Even then it was not much.

My child has just done KS1 SATS and I did no additional work with them besides school homework and reading.

Now it seems that other mothers are letting me know just how much additional work they did.

So far I have heard of:

• kumon classes
• tutors
• using booklets for scheduled sessions at home each week
• daily multiplication practise, etc

My child is very happy but I worry that by taking my homeland approach I have let them down.

Honestly and hand-on-heart what additional out-of-school work do you all do with your KS1/KS2 children? Please??

[cyb]

I do nothing with my year 2 boy apart from a bit of school reading and try to get him to do handwriting practice as his is SHOCKING. Ditto ds1 who is in year 4

But I too sometimes think I should be 'topping up' as ds1's literacy is shaky to say the least

[FiveOrangePips]

I live in Scotland, so we have none of the SATS stuff to worry about.

[katycarr]

My dd is in year 3, we do quite a bit with her at home, because her school is not very good. But no extra tutors or kumon. We do reading every evening and then half an hour an evening of something else andan hour or so at the weekend. The weekend is usually some kind of project following up what she is doing at school.

I don't do anything soecifically because of the SATS.

[gleegeekgleek]

It's a shame if people are preparing so much and stressing about tests for kids who are only in year 2.

Had a reception child round to play and he was off to tutoring (Kumon style thing) after - during half term. He's not even quite 5 ffs.

[Quattrocento]

I did precisely nothing. Nada. Was a bit slack on the reading stuff even.

Figured that they should be able to work stuff out for themselves

You could adopt a lordly air, OP, the next time someone comes and vents their insecurities by boasting shamelessly. Practise this in front of the mirror: 'Oh what a pity little Frankenstein needs additional tuition. I'm sure he'll catch up soon.'

[Sexonlegs]

DD1 just done SATS (year 2) We just did the weekly homework and she read a few pages of her school book a few times a week.

She is quite good at writing stuff anyway; will write stories in her own time. Maths is not one of her favourites although she is doing ok. I have to say I did nothing extra with her.

She was just too tired and needing to get out in the open after school, esp when good weather.

[katycarr]

I don't do extra because of SATS or because I want to show off. My dd is learning very little at school.

[PeacefulLiz]

There is no statisical evidence to show that homework helps kids - in fact some studies have shown a negative correlation - i.e. the kids who spent the most time doing homwork did the worst at school.

Loads of books on the subject as well. Check out 'the homework myth' on Amazon.

So just becuase other Mums choose to do extra work with their kids doesn't mean you should. If you are happy with your childs progress than thats all that matters.

[RamonaThePest]

Sorry, I probably was not clear.

I think it is because SATS have just finished that people have started talking about what they do at home. All our children go to a new school next September, so their results will go with them.

It seems that most mothers at our school do extra work at home all the time. I had no idea.

I had alwasy assumed my child would do fine without extra help, but in fact they are languishing in maths and handwriting.

Also it was only after a very successful mock SATs test that the school noticed I have a very good reader, apparently they had predicted a 1A and in fact my child will be a secure 3. Reading is the one thing we do huge amounts of at home and that we have made a lot of effort in - mostly because I love books.

So I guess I am curious to know what others do in general, not just for SATs. I am wondering if I am out of step with British behaviour. Or whether, in fact, the actions of all the parents at our school have been disguising the fact that the school is not actually that great. Perhaps I am in Katycarr's situation and never even realised it?

[Sexonlegs]

Irrespective of SATS, all we do is the weekly homework and reading as and when.

[RamonaThePest]

PeacefulLiz - thanks, I know about some of that research which partly informed my approach too. I want my children to have fun and be creative. Actually they are both very good at entertaining themselves with a stick and a rock, say, and this is something I value.

When I say we've done a lot of work with reading what I mean is loads of home reading, finding really good books at the library, etc.

However, I am not sure I am happy with their progress (see above).

[katycarr]

I think working with my dd at home does help her, firstly it sends the important message that we value learning. Secondly it is hard for her to concentrate in a class of 35 with chairs being thrown around the room and worrying about being threatened at break.

Work at home also allows children to work in more depth and explore personal interests.

[RamonaThePest]

What sort of things do you do, Katy?

[Quattrocento]

Real sympathies to those whose school isn't doing the job. It's hard work as a parent - without having to take on the stuff the school is doing as well

[HumphreyCobbler]

I feel very strongly that your approach is the right one OP. I was a year 2 teacher who believed that homework is a waste of time for such little children, in terms of their learning and their experience of family life.

Reading books, talking about and exploring the world is all that is necessary IMVHO.

[katycarr]

I am lucky that being a teacher myself I have access to books and subject specialists. I also come from a family of mathematicians. Dp also works from home.

In terms of maths and English I have just spoken to the maths department at my school and they have given me some books. She is working a few years ahead of her age, the school do try, they have placed her year 5/6 for maths and literacy.

She does reading every evening, she also writes a lot of poetry and stories at home.

She adores her science and again my school has given me books and resources to do with her. She recently did a project about the solar system which a physics teacher at my school uses with his year 9s.

In the holidays we pay for her to go to an art school as she is a talented artist. She is also sporty so does a lot of after school and weekend clubs and plays for local teams.

Every holiday we do a big project based on what she is doing at school but extending it. This holiday we are making a cookery book. I have given her a lot of cookbooks, she is reading though them choosing recipes, making them herself and then putting her favourite reciples into a book she is making herself on the computer.

[IngridFletcher]

We do the homework set by the teacher but nothing else.

[TotallyWipedout]

We talk, talk, talk, talk, and talk. We all read. Lots. The children do a lot of sticking boxes together. But we don't do 'additional work'. For one thing, I pay a fortune in school fees so it really shouldn't be necessary: I expect them to be doing well at school because the school isn't doing its job if they're not. For another, they are children, and should come home at the end of a very busy day (their school days are very, very busy, and they do no 'extras' or after-school clubs or anything) and do precisely nothing. Ditto weekends and holidays. They work hard during term-time, and home should be a place for them to relax.

[TheFallenMadonna]

We do homework. Reading sometimes

We do lots of other stuff, of course we do, but none of it is structured. Or work. And I'm afraid it is very much influenced by the likes and dislikes of DH and me, so lots of science and making things - rather less in the way of the arts.

[katycarr]

TFM I have to admit that what we do with dd reflects what we are interested in, we are lucky that I am arty person whereas dp is into maths and science.

Again it is one of many reasons why we only have one child, we could not sustain it with 2.

[renderedspeechless]

we do spellings homework, project homework and reading homework. added to that we do a few pages of workbooks at least 3 times a week. many many of the children at my dds school do kumon, tutoring, explore learning or somesuch. not particularly 'common knowledge' but there seems to be an underlying perception that each one's child ought to do additional work so that their child is not 'left behind'.

we dont teach my dd anything new, as such, but do speak to teacher to find out what they have covered each week and then do handwriting practice or whatever, so that dd gets to practise what she has been learning in school.

sad but true

[taffetacat]

DS(6, Y1) is doing pretty well at school so we do very little at home, apart from the statutory reading and spellings, I encourage him to read his own books to me when we have time and he's in the right frame of mind.

I expect we do do other stuff, but there isn't a routine as such for it. DS loves maths and often asks us to test him/make up sums etc. Tonight,for example, we were late home after a day out and DS could either play with the kitten for a bit before lights out or read a book to me. No brainer really. The book can wait.

I don't know whether I'll be the same with DD (3) as I don't know how she'll be doing yet. I think if she was a bit behind I'd be probably be doing a bit more.

They are small for such a short time, and there is so much fun stuff to do that sitting down doing school type work comes fairly low on the list here, tbh. Although as I say if they were behind I'd maybe feel differently.

[basildonbond]

dd (y2) does nothing formal - she reads all the time and loves writing and illustrating little stories or mock newspapers etc, but it's all self-directed - she's absolutely flying academically (easy level 3s across the board) - it was only when one of her friend's mums asked me direct that I realised that most of the other parents assumed she was being heavily tutored!

ds2 (y5) went to a tutor for a few months earlier this year to improve his confidence in literacy (he'd been saying he was 'no good' and getting very upset by it) - after a few months he decided he was much better and so we decided to stop going

ds1 (y8) has never had any kind of tutoring

all three have always read voraciously though, which I think helps enormously and not just with literacy

[Clary]

Absolutely nothing whatsoever for DS2 who is finishing year 2. Apart from reading book and spellings each week.

Kumon widely rubbished on MN actually. Tutor for 6-7yo ludicrous IMO.

For DS1 who is just finishing yr 6 and therefore KS2, just his homework which latterly was mostly practice papers. He really struggles with literacy but I couldn't ever get him to do much at home anyway, so just talked over ways to deal with the papers (he was very panicked) and how to do as many qus as poss, miss out if too tricky and return, write short answers etc.

HTH and please don't worry about yr child OP.

[HeavyMetalGlamourRockStar]

I support my dd at home with extra bit & pieces. We get no homework but the teaching does not seem to work with her, not sure why. She gets clearer instruction from me...wish I didn't have to supplement the formal part of her education but if I don't she falls behind.