Yr7 Homework

[WellGoshDarnIt]

DD started Yr7 at a grammar school 3 weeks ago. All seemed to be going well initially, despite the fact she didn't know anyone there. She settled in well and made new friends quickly, so we were delighted.
However, her primary school gave virtually NO homework at all and she's finding it very hard to adjust. The homework load isn't even that bad - half an hour to 45 minutes per night, (some nights there's none at all). To be frank, she is undoubtedly lazy - she was one of the 'clever ones' at primary, and she hardly needed to put any effort in at all. I spent ages over the summer explaining to her how different secondary would be, how she'd really need to apply herself, but I fear it all fell on deaf ears.
Today she's had an almighty weep because she's pretty sure she flunked a test in science, (she hasn't even had her marks yet!). Their homework was just to go over what they'd been taught in class in preparation for said test. I encouraged her, sat with her, offered to test her but she was insistent that she 'knew it'. Now we've got tears and declarations of hatred for the school, plus moaning that her friends who went to the comp have 'NO homework!' (Yeah, right!).
Part of me feels sad for her and wants to gather her up and tell her it's not her fault; the other part is thinking, well what did you expect if you didn't learn it properly? I know it's a learning curve but if anyone can reassure me this is all completely normal I'd appreciate it .
Ps. She passed the 11+ comfortably, not a top score or anything, but perfectly respectable, so I'm quite sure the work isn't too hard for her.

[Lindor]

I work at a comprehensive, and our year 7 children get a similar amount of homework per night. Many of them are also struggling to organise themselves and do the homework, resulting in very busy detention rooms! They all need a bit of time to adjust to the new regime

[WellGoshDarnIt]

Thank you @Lindor - that's exactly what I was hoping to hear! They all just need to settle into it I guess.

[Atomsaway]

I think it will just take a bit of time to adjust.

My youngest (year 7) isn’t getting too much but he is in a transition group because he struggles. Nevertheless, he has had quite a few wobbles. It’s a big contrast to primary plus, they are tired with the added moving from lesson to lesson and change in routine after an extended time off.

[WellGoshDarnIt]

Yes @Atomsaway , I keep explaining to her that it's going to be hard after so long doing nothing, but she's tired and hormonal so....!!

[Lindor]

@WellGoshDarnIt

Yes *@Atomsaway* , I keep explaining to her that it's going to be hard after so long doing nothing, but she's tired and hormonal so....!!

Our year 7 children are so tired already. Usually we get to half term before they’re this bad. I think being out of school for so long together with the adjustments for staying safe from Covid19 are exhausting. I think we need to focus on settling them in and making school a happy, comfy and safe place for them to be.

[MsAwesomeDragon]

We haven't started setting homework for our year 7 yet, state comp. So she might be right that her friends who went to the comp haven't got any homework.

Of course, this was just their "settling back in to school, 3 weeks of no homework". From next week they'll have similar amounts of homework to your dd. And we will expect it to be done to a high standard.

[SpeedofaSloth]

Y7 with homework every night here, too. I feel like I am drowning in his homework, he's not organised enough to do to without nudging yet.

[missyB1]

My ds has just started Year 7 in a private secondary. He's getting about 1 hour of homework a night, but he's naturally a slow worker so it's taking him about 1.5 hours - it's exhausting for the whole family!

[SpeedofaSloth]

And school use an app which tells me when he has new homework set, and when it's due. I feel like it's mine
We will settle to it, I guess.

[VashtaNerada]

We had similar in Y7. She seems to have got the hang on it now and weirdly just gets on with it without nagging most nights!

[VashtaNerada]

(Sorry, she’s in Y8 now!)

[GrasswillbeGreener]

I would think a test at this point is there precisely to help them realise and appreciate how they need to study and learn. (tbh my son in year 10 last year was only starting to get his head around how he needed to actually memorise some stuff for GCSE work ...)

Depending on how the test goes, hopefully you can use this experience as an open door to help her with study strategies. "I know it" needs to be checked with, ok, can you write it down, can you write / tell me 5 reasons for X, 3 names for Y, identify the points on this diagram or whatever.

Good luck.

[Kashtan]

Comprehensive teacher here, our y7s must get at least that most nights. School policy is every subject, and every teacher must set homework every week. Ours have 2 science teachers for starters so thats 2 bits of science plus probably another dozen subjects. I do alternate weeks quick and easy ( to keep my bosses happy that i have set some) and other weeks a little more.

[klavierspielen]

My son's Year 8 now, but talking to other parents last year there were LOADS having the same experience as you. I think it's a real period of adjustment for them. Our school doesn't set all that much - about 1 hour four nights a week, but we always used to save some for the weekend (usually the fucking posters), but he still needed lots of nudging to help him plan and do it. If it's any consolation, it suddenly seems to have clicked in Year 8 - he just comes home and does it, without any nudging. Weirdly, I think lockdown actually helped with this - he's more used to working from home now. So I think they do get there in the end, but Year 7 can be a bit painful.

[WellGoshDarnIt]

Thank you so much everyone - all of your advice and comments have really helped. We've had a few tears tonight at bedtime, but she grudgingly admitted that the school is 'ok'. I think complete exhaustion is the main issue here to be honest. Roll on half term!!

[Mumratheevergiving]

Yr 7 (comp) school easing them in so minimal homework so far just backing books etc.Homework to be set from next week.

[greymalkin71]

@klavierspielen

My son's Year 8 now, but talking to other parents last year there were LOADS having the same experience as you. I think it's a real period of adjustment for them. Our school doesn't set all that much - about 1 hour four nights a week, but we always used to save some for the weekend (usually the fucking posters), but he still needed lots of nudging to help him plan and do it. If it's any consolation, it suddenly seems to have clicked in Year 8 - he just comes home and does it, without any nudging. Weirdly, I think lockdown actually helped with this - he's more used to working from home now. So I think they do get there in the end, but Year 7 can be a bit painful.

Lol at the posters! Dd is in year 7, has had loads of homework so far, at first consisting entirely of posters. They seem to have dropped off a bit thank God, Nightmare for child who much prefers a short focused bit of homework. Please tell me they don't carry on into year 8 and beyond....

[Notcontent]

Ha, ha - yes, anything involving a poster is a pain - often for the whole family!!!

[DoingItForTheKid]

My parents gave me zero help in Y7, I was just expected to do well.

But I'm having to help very capable DD and it's all a bit stressful!

I find myself checking her homework app at work ffs.

[elkiedee]

My boys are both at a comprehensive in north London. It took a couple of weeks for school to start setting homework but now they are getting about the same amount as OP's DD. Their school uses a homework app called Show My Homework and you can check how much they actually have online if you need to, as well as trying to get them to do it and plan their work, haha.

It's possible that some of the other local schools in your area are using the same app,, and you can log out and just look at the schools by name and year 7 and get an idea what kind of thing and how much they've been setting over the last couple of weeks to compare. It might not be as different in quantity as DD thinks just now.

DS1 in year 9, DS2 in year 7 and I so agree about the posters. DS1 was very organised without pushing in year 7, but DS2 is very different anyway plus we've had that long break. He quite like Maths and got some proper Maths homework involving using a particular app used at school for the first time last night, and I think he would have been happier to just get on with that, but he had a f***ing poster and another piece of homework which is destined to be cut up in to bunting (in Spanish!), both due in this week, so we have been saying, no, do the homework that's got to be in this week first (Maths is for Wednesday).

Meanwhile DS1 has acquired a hectic social life, starting before lockdown, then he kept in touch with his friends by a new phone bought for him by his grandfather, and our Wifi, and then over the summer he got to see some of them in person again. We may well be back in lockdown at some level soon but it seems not yet.

He was better at doing his homework in year 7 than DS2, and he was ok at the start of year 8, Now he's fine when he gets down to it but I'm worried still about getting him to focus on it properly and check through it. Lockdown work included some online quizzes and spelling tests and I thought he was rushing through it and not taking as much care as he could - some of them included a chance to have another go and it looked as if he was doing the minimum and not making as much effort or doing as well as he could.

[Quickchange5]

This is a huge learning curve for them - I’ve got a new Grammar starter too . Mine would be in a mess if I’d not helped him sort out a process for keeping on top of it all - he gets work set daily with several days to do most of it . We’ve agreed he’ll do a subject each evening apart from Friday / Saturday ... with any catch up done on Sunday . He gets very whiny at the moment though if anything is out of his comfort zone - and he was also a high passer . I’m also stalking his School email !

[noblegiraffe]

It’s bloody hard work. DS is exhausted in the evenings so even getting him to pack his bag for the next day is a trial. Homework tonight was so poorly done he had to redo it amid much wailing and gnashing of teeth.

[Lougle]

Year 7 is the worst. Definitely at our school. At least this year the 'cover your books with relevant images and sticky back plastic' homeworks are being skipped because they've decided that viruses love plastic

I had DD3 in tears over Beowulf. I think the shock of suddenly getting quite challenging material after coasting through year 6 got to her. When I got her to highlight all the words that were tricky and we looked them up, she was fine.

[BoudiccaAnn]

Oh the horror of sticky back plastic!!! So relieved to hear it's a 'thing' at other schools. @Lougle your DD3 is lucky.

Made the mistake of trying to 'help' DD with hers and now it looks like something SHE did in Reception. Except she would have done a better job and properly consulted YouTube, something I did not do. DD doesn't seem fussed about it at all but I've learned my lesson and will steer clear of any sticky plastic projects in the future.

[StrawberryMice]

Sitting down to complete homework is part of the learning process as much as the actual information. She'll get used to it. Also, on the positive side she has realised early on the error of the "I know it" strategy without revision, and as she is tearful it suggests she really cares.