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

I dont believe in homework for parents. When the kids can do it themselves, then great, and it fosters responsibility and starts to practice skills like self-organising and discipline. Until then, nope, it kills the golden hour between childcare and bed and means WEs aren't for hobbies and family activities. My DD started being able to do her own homework in Yr 4 and now by Yr 5 is pretty much on it, and asks for help if she does need it. I genuinely think you can let it slide in the early years and isn't essential till secondary.

All the research actually suggests the vast majority of homework at secondary also has very little impact on achievement! I did spelling and reading with mine and also got the x for other homework. I did not get upset or argue about this.
I say this as a secondary teacher who hates homework and thinks the vast majority of it is bollocks and normally done in the canteen or on the bus or rushed at home.

None of my teacher friends think there’s any point to homework at primary, or at least the early years. My DD is in year 2 and she’s never had spellings. Do most schools do spellings at this stage?

She has reading books and a maths app and that’s it. There’s very little buy in to the maths app, most people don’t bother.

I'm a teacher with a child who is also in year one and I agree with you. Reading and spelling practice absolutely but there is no evidence to support excessive homework and I make a point of not setting homework for the sake of it. It's often just something schools do to tick the home school link box and of no benefit to the children.

I do actually agree with you. It’s too much. Learning during the school day should be plenty surely? A bit of reading and some spelling, fine, but making children do additional tasks after school seems too much. They need some time to relax, surely?

Plus I agree it’s a lot for the parents to organise.

My youngest has just started secondary school. He was never keen on doing homework at primary. At secondary he’s suddenly doing it all with no pushing whatsoever.

Why? Because the homework is communicated directly to the children by their teachers and it’s all easy for them to check and keep up to date with on their Chromebooks.

At primary, the teachers sent it to parents via a labyrinthine series of apps and passwords, and then we had to coax the children to sit and do it. My DS hated being confronted with tasks by me in this way. It was a nightmare getting him to do it. He does have ADHD though so it might be to do with the way he processes instructions.

My eldest is a very different kettle of fish and very motivated to get things done. When she was in the infants I don’t think they gave them much homework. She’s just got 10 x 9s at GCSE so I don’t think I’m a terrible parent.

Ultimately it’s something you’re going to have to figure out because kids aren’t usually independent with homework until high school and it does build up as they get older. So I think I’d make the effort to find the time as it’s building good habits for both of you. But it isn’t the end of the world if you don’t finish sometimes. She is only 5 and homework has been proven not to have much benefit for this age.

I loathe 'parent and child' homework with a passion.

If you are a teenager, fair dos, but homework that requires a parent just widens the life chances gap between kids with home lives of plenty and kids with crap home lives.

It also creates real tension at home and damages relationships with all the nagging required. Hated it as a parent.

When I were a lass we had nowt in primary school and it didn't do me any harm......

I struggle too, eldest in Y3 and youngest in Y1.
Get home past 6pm, dinner, homework, bath and bed. There's no time for everything with 2 kids every day.
I try my best but sometimes it has to slide.

All the evidence suggests homework at this age beyond reading is not of value to the child so you are not being unreasonable to not do it. Many teachers I know say the same thing but can't not set homework. I would just tell the teacher so your child isnt being asked and the teacher is clear.

This

most schools have ed shed (spellings) or rock stars (maths) We do 5mins on each. So 10mins a day

plus reading

a little every day keeps their brain active and doesn’t really take long

At that age I genuinely struggled to fit it in. By the time we got home, cooked dinner it was bath and bedtime and there definitely wasn't time in the mornings. Throw in slightly reluctant child and there was no chance. Maybe I am just super disorganised

I think this is really poor, sorry.

Of course you can make time. My son’s homework takes 20 minutes. Usually a couple of English questions and some maths. He has all week to do it so he does a question each day when he comes home and has his snack.

We do reading at bedtime and spellings over breakfast. You can make time to do it but if you don’t want to, that’s a different story.

It is an expectation on parents and rightly so. She won't do 'great' at school forever with no extra effort, and it's not for parents to decide which parts of what a teacher sets they accept the importance of.

If you don't have time and just don't care enough to prioritise it, at least say so, but I don't think you can assume the maths and English that is being provided and there is an opportunity to do is completely unnecessary for your child.

It's up to you whether or not you want to enforce homework at home but if you aren't going to do it then I would explain to the teacher and opt out officially so the teacher isn't going to the effort of providing the resources for you and chasing it up.

YNBU to struggle with this. I am shocked at how much homework small children have. The books they get are boring and take the joy out of reading. I think your attitude that something has to slide sometimes is ok given that your dd doesn’t need the additional support. Although maybe do it every now and again.