To not bother with weekly ‘busy work’ homework tasks?

Out of Interest why maths? And why not read and draw?

I hear what youre saying OP! My ds is 6 and has weekly spellings, his reading book and a library book. He also has a termly topic and has to do a bigger piece of homework for that. Usually a project to present to the class or similar. Whilst this in itself does take a huge amount of time, trying to fit it in alongside the other homework tasks IS tricky. Especially when he has beavers, football twice a week and swimming and with myself having another DC and a job it all gets a bit much. I try a 'little and often approach' with my youngest. He comes home and does his spellings twice a week after school with a snack. His maths homework is always due in on a Wednesday so generally that gets done on a Tuesday evening whilst im cooking dinner. The projects have to be 'a bit here and bit there' to make sure its not all needing to be done in a last minute rush. Take a breath. If you're struggling with it now, itll only get harder as the homework amounts increase as they get older, so does the expectation on parents. Fit in what you can, not what you can be bothered with.

That's great, little and often.

I just feel that here in the UK we put too much faith in school. I actually teach DC (not at a school) and most of my time is spent firefighting due to DC with behaviour issues, lateness, parents interfering, and paperwork. It sucks the joy out of teaching them. Not a lot gets done.

I have seen the difference with my own DC and the DC I teach, when the numbers are really low, say 1 or 2 of them. They learn 10 times more in half an hour, than in a group setting over 6 weeks.

People blindly follow. I expect most of these posters don’t work much or have full time jobs anyway.

@BritishFakeOffMy ds is 5 and he can already read and write pretty well. We do the odd bit at home but that’s it. They learn quickly at this age. They don’t need that much homework in year 1

Homework is a fact of school life and it’s your job to support the school in their policy not undermine it. In Y1 it’s not going to take long and it won’t be every night, but it’s an important routine to establish. Get them to do it while you prepare tea and ask any questions as they go. Then spelling test or tables can be done in the bath. And of course bedtime reading. By the time of GCSEs do you want kids who come in and sit straight down to study, or ones who will find any and every excuse not to do it? Or do you think studying after school for GCSEs sucks the fun out of life too?

This is incredibly lame. You don't have the time for a little bit of Y1 maths homework? Come off it.

Sneering at the girl who was keen at primary school for going to a ‘crappy university’ and being just a primary school teaching helping kids - compared to the hotshot sons on megabucks

YABU

If you think your DC's schools are going to teach them to read and write well, you are in for a big shock. By the time the teacher(s) have dealt with all the extra things they have to deal with in their classroom, I doubt your child is getting much attention, especially if they are bright and just get on with things. For example, how much time does your teacher or assistant spend with your DC every week teaching them to read? I doubt it is very much.

Reading, writing and maths has to be massively supported at home. If you do, your DC will excel at school and do well. I learnt this early on with my DC. I have seen so many parents surprised when they realise their DC is behind because they just let the school get on with it.

Also, I lived in Singapore and HK and my DC went to local schools. Please don't insult them by comparing our education system to theirs. OK, so we have some good stuff, but overall I found the schools over there without drama and individuals monopolising the teachers time, parents making a massive effort with their DC's education, respect towards teachers and genuine enthusiasm and hard work. The DC are very academic, but not that creative. It works for them.

I've mixed eastern values of education with west, and I have never ever relied on the school for anything. In fact, when I moved back here to junior school I really felt that the school crossed boundaries and I disliked it so much that I did all extra curricular activities away from it. Elsewhere the school is there like a business, a service provider, to teach your DC. Here it feels like the parenting is outsourced to the school. It really feels like this, and I hated it.

I took my DC to a maths class and they can add up and take away like a demon. One just got A* Maths A'level. I refused all books from the school once past the phonics stage and sent my own in. The school never said a word about it.

I did not begin homework until I hit secondary school. My parents took no interest in my school work and I can never once recall my mother or father asking me if my homework was done. In fact when I was taking my GCE it seemed to irritate my father to see me with open books. He was constantly telling me to "get in the kitchen and help your mum." I had to motivate myself. I studied with friends or in the library.

My parents' lax attitude did not prevent me qualifying for a profession and going on to earn several degrees, including a Ph.D.

Why is it nasty?

I basically let my kids to do it when they remember and organise themselves. What I do do is make sure they have a big chunk of reading before bed because that’s easy to remember as it’s part of their routine and doesn’t involve faffing about with different log ins. First one is now at grammar remembering her own homework by herself now thank god. Second is on track too … for me it’s reading, reading, reading

Personally I think kids should read and do maths every night from an early age, and 20 minutes isn’t a long time really.

@MissYouForever YANBU there’s no evidence that homework at primary age has any academic benefit.

Also, in case you are worried about outcomes/attitudes… many moons ago I let my DD refuse to do any homework she liked at primary school. It didn’t do her any harm. She’s got a great work ethic, she’s predicted A stars at A levels and has applied to study at Oxford.

What a nasty post in every way

The thing with the "homework grid" was that we were doing lots of out of school learning anyway - nature walks, baking, taking the kids to museums, all that sort of thing. We are engaged and educated parents who value education. The whole thing was just very patronising.

Interestingly, it lasted about a term then was quietly dropped. I suspect the school had feedback.

We opted out, I was running a business my husband worked overseas 2 DS to manage and until they were about 10 I simply opted them out of homework tasks so we had time to walk the dogs, cook and relax after school.

They would read and play and build Lego and do all the things kids should be doing, they are 21 & 18 now so pre iPad kids.

School is for learning home is my home and where my DS have down time, and when they did start doing homework there as no drama over missed stuff.

Each to their own but my DS are both thriving so I’d deduce not doing homework at age 5 have zero impact on their lives.

Exactly, we did times tables in the car as well ( that was year 2, so age 6). DS had all of his up to 12 by October half term
Interestingly he and the child who we car pooled with are both now studying at Oxbridge, maybe just a coincidence.

When mine were at primary, the headteacher sent a letter home saying studies had shown homework at that age was not that beneficial but it was sent as some parents insisted on it. It was left to us if it was done, no issues if it wasn't

My year 1 has their phonics book only. The school (which does well academically) is not heavy on homework at all, even at older ages. My child only gets home at 6-6.30pm 3 nights a week (in after school club) so there's not a lot of time before bed. Very different for those who are able to pick their child up at 3pm each day.

@RandomGeocache I’m actually laughing at the vision of your family trying to manage that.

it actually sounds like the teacher was quite keen and trying to be creative but if she didn’t have children at the time and later did I’m sure she was cringing when she realised what it would have been like to get those assignments as a parent.😂

It's rubbish. Children should be playing. No wonder MH issues abound.

We had a ridiculous "homework grid" when my youngest child was about 9 or 10, it was nonsense like "everyone in the family has to sing their own song, and say why it is their favourite" or "make up a short play and give everyone in the family a role".

Total nonsense. Especially when the family included two adults who had finished their own education, and two teenagers with their own homework to do and didn't have time to be twatting about singing songs and performing plays. We just didn't do it.

When mine were at school and I worked full time it was a nightmare to get homework done, they always had reading maths spellings and something else like a picture or a craft thing. We managed (we had 5 in primary at one point) spellings at breakfast, reading before bed between teeth cleaning and story, everything else sort of fitted in whilst I cooked dinner (thank god for a kitchen table)

I have my granddaughters 3 days a week after school, and we tackle homework then, last night we started a family tree to complete tonight, and instructions to make a sandwich, pictures to add tonight. I think we will have some maths tonight as well unless my son has managed it last night. My son and DIL do reading and spelling unless they ask me to help.

i love doing the homework with them I wish I had had parents who could have stepped up to help but that wasn’t going to happen. I have another grandchild who often visits at the weekend and will bring his homework for nana to help (he’s 12) I love doing it with him. Is there no one who could help you with it.

one thing I did do and my son does with his three, is copy out the spellings for the week and stick them on the fridge, you then can randomly ask a spelling or just one or two words and they are to hand for doing when you’re in the kitchen

I’m shocked at how many people are banging on about how you should just do it. Why would anyone do something not in the best interest of their child just because someone else told them to do so?! The research in this area pretty clearly states there’s very little benefit and even OFSTED don’t require it for this age.