Do you agree with homework in Primary

You need to change your way before secondary otherwise you will run into issues as homework is mandatory and will cause detentions.

I can't imagine your kids can't spare 30 minutes to do a worksheet, practice timetables or read for an upcoming topic.

DD was at a childminder 4 out of 5 days until 5.30pm, she had 3 activities under the week plus weekend ones.
She still managed to get her homework done.

It is amazing how much spelling and timetables you can squeeze into a 30 minute car ride for example.

There's no need for homework at primary except learning tables and doing reading practice. That's it.

I'd go so far to say there's no need at secondary until the GCSE years start, too.

Apparently adults need work-life balance, but children do not.

@Toastiesforever your children really can't find time at the weekend for a page or two of sums and some spellings? They are not at school for many of the weeks of the year (summer holidays, half terms, Christmas and Easter Break.

Maybe 30 weeks a year. If they are as good as you think they are, then maybe that's an hour a week to do the spellings and sums. 30 hours a year.

You really can't find that?

Depends what it is… my DC hate writing, and need to practice - for their handwriting, spelling, comprehension, stamina.
practicing maths is important- I can see that sometimes they did not get what happened in school, or they are not confident yet.
reading is important- you don’t get better at it unless you practice - and I don’t think school can deliver this level of practice.
same with timetables
art projects and posters are a complete waste of time. So is anything that requires “research”, as that is just the adult googling results - especially in Reception and Year 1.

Perhaps I’m in the minority, but I don’t mind a bit of homework. I think the main benefit of homework (that I see in my kids, anyway) is that it teaches self-discipline and time management. My kids receive a packet of homework to complete each week, and they have to decide how to portion out their time in order to complete it by the following week. They are informed of exams a week or two in advance and are given study guides for revision, so they have to work out a study schedule for themselves depending on what they feel they need to study and how long they think that will take. They have learned to evaluate what is expected of them over the next week and to plan their time allocation accordingly. I think that’s a great life skill for primary age kids to learn.

The dark side of homework is that, as pointed out by others, it really can place kids who don’t have as many resources to complete assignments (time after school, quiet work space, parental help, etc) at a real disadvantage.

“I'm not downgrading the importance of sport or music, far from it: these are hugely life enhancing things. But the idea that piano lessons or a rugby match come ahead of learning your times tables seems odd to me, particularly if spare time is so scant.”

I think it is a recognition that school can be very limited in terms of the types of learning. I do see piano as being just as important as so many state schools are so rubbish at music provision versus a prep. I would of course support learning of tables but try to do it as practice in the car or much more informally. Our school is pretty low on homework but gets amazing results. I also think time to play and relax is important as a thing in and of itself.

In primary we didn’t consider homework important- they learnt what was needed during school hours. Sports and music classes were important at that age to get a good grasp of the basics. Both the DT’s didn’t music exams through to grade 8 and played competitive sports through to Uni.

Both got all A’s in GCSE and A levels so lack of doing any primary homework hasn’t hurt them but the time for other activities has been a huge benefit.

Yes, I don't agree with it unless it's sort of revision.
My son has a medical/health autism plan at school (basically, we talk to his teachers, make goals, and what we don't know what him doing) and one thing on the plan has always been no homework.
My son is in high school now (grade 8) and still no homework his schools have been fine with that they are very understanding and either he misses the homework part altogether (as in doesn't do it at school) or may do a bit in school he has his own lesson plans too so it's not like he is doing the same thing as everyone in his class/year so they can't mark it against him he does his own work and they mark that.

@MariaVT65

Of course, I entirely agree that it depends on the content and the volume.

But I still think the starting premise that homework is less important than clubs and extracurricular is an odd one.... there's a definite shift in emphasis here, in which parents seem to assume that academic work should be the least important element of their kids lives.

I'm not downgrading the importance of sport or music, far from it: these are hugely life enhancing things. But the idea that piano lessons or a rugby match come ahead of learning your times tables seems odd to me, particularly if spare time is so scant.

I just think its inconsistent with a society which is really equipping the next generation with the tools they need.

Again I would think it depends on what the primary school homework is.

If it’s reading (which we’d do anyway) or some help with maths or spelling, then fine. If it’s some other crap like crafts or projects that involves me doing the majority of the work, then I think other things should definitely be prioritised.

I understand about the pressure to fit it all in but seriously... I work a 50+ hour week and I'm a lone parent.

Homework at primary is very unlikely to be more than at maximum half an hour a day. If it's not, you need to take it up with the school.

What I find slightly bizarre about many of these posts is that people seem to be taking as read that "chill out" time or clubs or music lessons take automatic priority over homework. These things are all important, sure, and people are busy and tired but the idea that homework is the last on a very long list of priorities is an odd assumption. It can't be unmanageable to find an hour or so a week for it if you're finding time for piano lessons?

There is a reality that the world has changed and many households don’t have someone at home. My children get picked up at 6 from wrap around. We have to fit in chill out time, dinner, bath bed, any activities. In infants I prioritised reading and that has built a good foundation but I’m currently prioritising piano practice for my y3 and reading for my reception child. May be the wrong choice but we can do one thing well in the evening. Homework is the weekend for us if it needs to happen. Mid week is just too hard to fit in.

No. I think the only homework should be reading except possible in year 6 to prepare ti for secondary school.

Competitive sport is great for building resilience and confidence. It doesn’t have to come at the expense of homework if you’re organised. Ds plays football, rugby and cricket so 3 different sports teams there with regular training and matches throughout the year. He also plays an instrument. Dd dances competitively, both troupe and solos plus singing. Dh and I both work in demanding jobs, but we’re organised and the kids always get their homework done on time. I agree about the stupid project type homework’s but reading, timetables and spellings are important.

@Toastiesforever

For example competing under pressure and learning that skill can also help with the pressured environment of exam taking or standing up in front of the class and presenting.

I don't disagree with that and for some kids competitive sport does build resilience and ambition (not to mention having health benefits).

But I think it's a stretch to argue that competitive sport should be a greater priority for a primary age child than basic homework.

For one thing only a relatively small handful of children will continue to excel at competitive sport beyond school. That's not a reason not to do it but for most kids in most circumstances doing well academically will have more benefits than doing loads of extra sport. If you are not good at sport and are pushed really hard to do it it can backfire horribly: I've seen this happen a lot.

A much greater proportion of children will get more overall benefit from applying themselves to a bit of basic education (spelling, arithmetic, reading comprehension) than they will from doing six hours a week of (for example) hockey.

Swings and roundabouts and some kids will get disproportionate benefit from sport. But to argue that competitive sport is overall of greater benefit homework is just the wrong emphasis.

Homework is reading, learning tables, maths games, spellings. Anything more is unnecessary.

More that if it’s heavily weighted toward that and means they can’t successfully complete set homework, it’s too much. Unless sport is very likely a career path or they are superlative at it.

Spot on 👍🏼

I’d also add that ‘topic’ homework like writing on the term topic and finding out stuff in an area of interest within it prepares them for secondary school. Yes, it does involve the parents but I never minded that.

I would certainly argue that more than 2 extra curricular week day classes is far more detrimental to them than some homework

@BooseysMom

Yeah the badge of honour thing is very odd and I think it’s a sign of a decadent and pretty lost society when affluent people who have benefited from a high quality education themselves are actively encouraging their kids not to strive or apply themselves.

I can totally understand that families where there isn’t a background of parental engagement with education or where the parents have limited schooling would find it a more challenging concept but for university educated people in two parent families with no financial stress to tell their kids “homework isn’t important, let’s just enjoy (whatever it is)” is very short sighted.

If you want to do well in life, applying yourself at school is a massive advantage. It’s not the be all and end all and it shouldn’t take over a child’s life but there’s no dodging the fact that it’s important. Relying on your own generation’s cultural capital and espousing some vague notion that better mental health = doing as little as you can get away with is a recipe for breeding entitled and demotivated children.

This is how societies decline.

Agree @Thepeopleversuswork you put it far more eloquently than I could

It totally depends.

I found HW in primary useful as it meant we spotted several issues with DD which the school failed to see as she was the perfect middle ability child and nobody realised that she was actually failing to keep up with some maths which would have caused severe issues later on.

In a class of 30 it's easy to get lost.

I hated the arts and craft homework she couldn't do without parental help.

In secondary it's often independent learning to prepare for the topic and learn to revise which is crucial for Y10/11 and later 6th form if they go.