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Original poster

Y10 Easter homework

31 replies

Jux · 16/04/2014 15:49

So far this holiday dd has had one day off. Every other day has been spent on homework, almost from dawn to dusk, something like 10 hours a day, with small breaks.

She still has half of her ancient history to do, two paintings and a sculpture, a developed answer for RE, French and German.

She wasn't behind. This isn't catch up work. This is all homework set for the holidays.

The only reason she's had one day off was because we took her out. I asked her if she'd like to watch a film yesterday evening, she wanted to but refused as she had homework to do. I wanted to take her out today, but again she said she needed to get on with homework.

According to the school, she is among the brightest in her year. She is expected to do extremely well in her GCSEs. She is quite studious naturally anyway, but I am beginning to think that she may not get through to end of Y11 in a reasonable state of mind at this rate.

Is that much homework normal now? I did O levels in the early 70s, so have no idea.

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Original poster
Jux · 17/04/2014 23:30

I would have thought that was plenty, TheWordFactory.
MaryShelley, I shall tell her what you have said.

We did have a lovely day out together today. DD is much more relaxed this evening, though she has done some work. She did say this morning that the work she does will stand her in better stead in Sixth Form. I see her point and applaud her forward thinking, but I don't want her to burn.

I suspect that most of classmates won't have put in so much effort, so the teachers won't have to mark screeds from every pupil Easter Grin, but actually they have word count limits, so she won't hand in more, she'll just have done more background research. That is a good thing, but can make it harder to choose what to put in and what to leave out.

I have made the point about time management and exams before, but I'll remind her.

OP posts:
TheWordFactory · 17/04/2014 16:59

Gosh that's a lot.

My two have year 10 exams when they get back and have been doing around four hours of revision a day.

That's enough, surely?

ErrolTheDragonsEgg · 17/04/2014 13:55

It sounds like more than average, but at least in part it's because of her combination of subjects . My yr10 DD has had a reasonable amount of actual homework, in addition to which she's put in quite a lot of time revising for the (internal) exams.

(Come to think the one subject I've not been aware of her doing anything is German - her one MFL and her least favourite subject. Hmmm...)

But she's had some days off - though as two of them were longish walks with her carrying a large pack to get used to it prior to DofE next month I'm not sure she'd call them rest days!

Nocomet · 17/04/2014 13:40

Until Y11

Nocomet · 17/04/2014 13:39

I'd drop a Email to the HOY. It sounds to me like art and ancient history weren't aware of the MFL CAs.

I don't think DDs school do them to Y11 (when they clash with everything else and also cause grief)

DD1 has put art A level down for "stress relief" Easter Hmm, I did biology, far more restful.

MaryShelley · 17/04/2014 12:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Picturesinthefirelight · 17/04/2014 11:26

The amount the OPs dd has is ridiculous & unnecessary & whilst some may be time management it doesn't sound like most of it is.

I would be asking for a meeting with the head of year to address the situation

No good will come out of burnt out children.

Picturesinthefirelight · 17/04/2014 11:09

I wholeheartedly support my children's education to the extent that due to poor local schools we have gone down the independent route.

But they don't do homework in the holidays apart from a small amount of revision for secondary age dd

The exception will probably be year 11. I would expect dd to be doing about an hour a day at that age.

Original poster
Jux · 16/04/2014 23:44

I don't approve of the strategy in German, by the way. I can't help but see it as cheating, and ultimately not helpful.

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Original poster
Jux · 16/04/2014 23:42

The MFL work really is ridiculous, isn't it? She's very good in French and doesn't need to do the work at all, but she'll do it because she has to hand it in to get corrected. The German will artificially inflate her competence, but it is more necessary as they only started teaching it this year, so there's an amount of catching up with other schools to do.

She loves art and it helps her relax, so the amount of work - though a bit bonkers imo - is not so onerous.

Ancient History? I just don't know, but it's what she wants to do at Uni, so it's hard to know what to do for the best. The amount of work set seems a tad unreasonable.

Thank goodness there's no maths! That's her weakest subject, and will reduce her to tears. She's so knackered from it all. It makes me so sad for her. She should be loving most of these subjects and she isn't any more. Sad

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Nocomet · 16/04/2014 23:18

fourcorneredcircke Who knows was also the conclusion of the teacher I asked at the sixth form evening.

And art certainly swallows up all the spare time you have and then some more.

balia · 16/04/2014 22:53

The time commitment for Art is massive - I remember my DD doing it - hours of work if they are going for top grades.

fourcorneredcircle · 16/04/2014 22:49

nocomet who knows?! The powers that be changes his change their minds a lot...

stillenacht1 · 16/04/2014 22:39

I set my year 10s revision for a test on one of their set works (GCSE music) and that is it...about 2 hours work .

Nocomet · 16/04/2014 22:37

Although unfortunately I think my Y8 DD2 will still get the present system?

fourcorneredcircle · 16/04/2014 22:07

jux and BackforGood It's a farce and I'm an MFL teacher. Results are spiraling out of control beacuse so many schools rely on the sort of 'fettling' of controlled assessments that you mention. The evidence suggests that Nocomet is correct in that there will continue to be an oral assessment in MFL (wouldn't make sense not to...) although I imagine it will return to the previous system where you had to give a short presentation on a topic, then answer questions about the topic, then do a role play - which were unseen before the assessment.

BackforGood · 16/04/2014 22:00

No - I know it's unbelievable, but that is the way you get a GCSE in MFLs these days, Jux

Nocomet · 16/04/2014 21:43

Yes getting rid of CAs is the one good thing Gove has done.

However, I'm not entirely sure if they actually will disappear from languages, which have always had some sort of orals, before the main exam season.

Also I assume PE, drama, music and art will still have performances and course work of some sort and so will other DT subjects

wincy · 16/04/2014 20:46

Never thought I'd be defending Gove, but he is phasing out controlled assessments/coursework in favour of end of course exams. Suits some people not others.Wink

Original poster
Jux · 16/04/2014 19:11

Thank you all so much.

I know that with art she works quite slowly as her work is very very intricate and does take a long time. For the other things, she does put pressure on herself. A lot is expected of her, and she wants to go to Oxford. I've looked at their admissions requirements, and GCSEs are barely mentioned. I hoped that would take a bit of pressure off her, but it would not seem to have worked.

The French and German I think ought to be unnecessary. It's writing and then learning a piece (for French) and answers to questions (for German) for a class test or whatever the terminology is. It's work that counts towards the GCSE. I think that writing your answers and learning them (and then your teacher correcting them and you learning them with the corrections) is cheating, but apparently this is how it's done. It's not the first time they've had to do this sort of thing. (In my day, you had an exam when you did as well as you did but you didn't get to learn corrected things off by heart......... .)

The Ancient History is taking the most time. I'm not sure I entirely understand how it works, but there's a GCSE this year and then another next year.

I have tried to talk to her about time management before, when I've thought she was spending too much time studying outside school. That's another thread Grin. I do wonder how much time the A.History is supposed to take, and will talk to her teacher when they go back (Tuesday gulp!).

Thanks Mr Gove [boooooooo hissssssssss]

Poor little thing.

She has agreed to take some time off tomorrow, so I'll take her into town.

OP posts:
Lottiedoubtie · 16/04/2014 18:15

I agree, you need to work with her re. Time management.

Ask to see what she has done at regular intervals (30 mins-1hr) so you can get an idea if a) she is writing three lines an hour, b)she is staring into space, c) she's on Facebook, d) she's sitting stressing and not getting anything down on paper if it isn't 'perfect' (v. Common with high archieving girls) or e) working appropriately through a ridiculous amount of work.

I'd be quite surprised if it really is e), but if it is, you need to take it up with the school, because that's far too much work. Apart from anything else who is going to mark 2 weeks worth of 10 hour days xhowever many people in her year. It's unworkable for everyone concerned.

MrsDavidBowie · 16/04/2014 18:14

I am looking at my year 10 son who has got some German to do and nothing else.
10 hours a day is just ridiculous.

fourcorneredcircle · 16/04/2014 18:08

Pictures most parents want to support their Y10 students in their homework - the OP and others that come after her are not saying that they shouldn't do homework (because, then they probably wouldn't do so well...) but that they support with time management. Just not doing it will not help.

Picturesinthefirelight · 16/04/2014 17:55

Just don't do it.

We go on holiday at Easter & there is no way either of my two when they get to that age are going to spend the holiday cooped up in the hotel room or caravan.

noblegiraffe · 16/04/2014 17:48

Is she actually working all that time (which would be completely unreasonable, kids need a break) or is she looking like she is working while messaging her friends on Facebook etc?

My brother 'revised' for hours for exams, sat at a table surrounded by books, but never actually did any work,

Either way, she need some support with her time management, she absolutely can't continue this way. She will burn out before her GCSEs.