DS, Y7- pls suggest how to structure homework so it doesn't overwhelm us!

Find out from the school how long the homework is supposed to take, at my DCs it is 20 min for year 7 (for each piece). After that time you sign that they have spent that long on the piece and you stopped them. If there is any come back then you contact the heads of year.

My kids do sometimes work during breaks, but usually because they have fallen behind, doing whatever they doing in the evenings instead. Extra curricula doesn't mean it has to be in school.

I would not want my children to do their prep at lunchtime, nor do I encourage my tutor group to do this.

Lunchtimes are for eating together (obviously) and doing clubs.

It's fine if they need to print something out, but that is it.

I worry about my students who work through lunchtime, and will try to get to the bottom of why they are doing this and not doing something extra curricular.

Ds has just finished his first week of Y7. Same as everyone else he gets 2-3 pieces of homework each day but, so far, he has managed to do at least one at lunch-time.

He gets home at 4.15pm, gets changed and has a drink and a snack and slumps in front of the box until 5pm. Then I insist on homework being done - he sits in the same room as me (rather than using his new desk he insisted on having bought ) so I'm available for queries. I do keep an eye on the time but, so far, the work has been easy peasy compared to his old school. I have no illusions that this will continue, however!!!

It was easiest when ds was at prep as he stayed there for supper and prep and I picked him up at 1900; bargain, and no nagging.

For the last 3 years now he is at secondary I have reinstituted prep. He gets in at 1620. He has til 1700 for a drink, toast, and a dibble on the PS3. He then has to do h/w until dinner, which could be 1930/2000. We go through the planner and work out what needs to be done by when and work accordingly. For instance, he has done his maths in private study this week and started his English. Tomorrow he will complete his English, do 250 words for a French oral presentation, and have his first RE GCSE lesson. He will also learn 5 words of his Dutch vocab for a test next Friday. If we do 5 a day, it splits it down and then the second, third and fourth nights will be new words and revision of the others.

Ds is now in Year 10 and doing 11 IGCSEs/GSCEs so the work load is more. He hasn't just realised how much yet!

I am a Y7 form tutor and also have a DD in Y7.

We have a prep timetable, which works out at 3 subjects per night x20 minutes, so a total of 1 hour. If it regularly takes longer than this, then the child can stop and have their parent sign at the bottom to say that the full time was spent. This enables the teacher to make allowances and adjust tasks for pupils who are on the slow side.

For parents who have to nag their children, we recommend that the child stays at school for prep. We run this until 6pm. They are completely different when stuck in the library, in silence, compared with the distractions at home.

We recommend that they do their homework on the day that it was set (hence the hw timetable), but they can do it any time before it is due. This is unlikely to be a whole week as teachers who have only one lesson a week will get them to hand it in early so it can be marked before the next lesson.

If they have an assignment that requires a computer, they have to do it straightaway in case of technological problems (no printer ink, the dog ate my memory stick, etc.).

As a parent of six children, I have a real mixed experience. I've nagged, and I've been nagged. The easiest way is seriously to have them do it at school. Even for my keen, conscientious child, she drives me mad at home asking me to check her work, etc. She was doing something for English today and ended up writing 4 pages, and I thought "her poor teacher".

If they are doing after school activities, they have to fit these around their homework. There are several hours between the end of school and start of evening clubs - plenty of time for homework and supper.

DS is in year 9 and he has a routine of coming in having a drink and a (very large!)snack and then starting his homework at about 4pm. He then does a couple of pieces of homework that are due in the soonest or does a bit of a project type homework. I don't time him but if something is causing problems I would probably tell him to have a break from it(like last weeks complicated history homework about all the different European empires at the start of world war one ) When he was in year 7 he used to do a lot of homework on a Friday night/Saturday morning to make sure he was on top of it but now he's more likely to do stuff on a Sunday. I don't mind him leaving it till then because I know it will get done but I just usually check every so often that he's keeping it all ticking over. The small homeworks are ok its the longer project type with a deadline ages away that cause the problem. Little and often is the answer to those.

i teach at a high achieving school

there are time limits for homework - eg in y7 a student might have 1 homework in science per week, which should take about 20 minutes

there is also be a homework timetable so that students always have science homework on a friday, and english on monday for example

students should really only do what they can reasonably accomplish within this time, they should certainly not be spending hours a night, especially in y7

if i were you, i would ask your child's tutor about your school's policy

I'm in exactly the same situation except poor dd doesn't get home till 4.30 ish. She gets between an hour to an hour and a half each day. We've agreed that shell have Friday evening off and all day Saturday and then do homework after breakfast on Sunday. I will be watching the thread to see what others do during the week. Hard though isn't it.

Hi ampere,

not really got any advice but mine has started at grammar school this week, so I know how it is.

He doesn't get home until 4.30pm, so there's no option but to slump in front of the telly, then tea, then any homework.

It's not been a lot yet, but it does take up time and needs support. He's having a whole day off today and I can see weekend homework happening on a Sunday, late afternoon.