19 pieces of homework!

DS is in Y7 and gets 19 pieces of homework a fortnight (so half as much as your DS). He gets about 1 hour of homework per subject a fortnight. For example, he gets 2 30 minute pieces of homework per fortnight for English, but 3 20 minute pieces of homework a fortnight for French, and 1 40-60 minute homework for Art a fortnight.

If there is 1 in 4 chance of getting 1 question, right, then it is 1/4 x 1/4 chance of getting 2, 1/4 x 1/4 x 1/4 of getting 3.

If a test of, say, 250 questions has a pass mark of 50% (ie 125 questions right), then the probability of getting those 125 questions right by random guesswork alone is (I think - long time since Maths A-level)

1 divided by (4 to the power 125) - or 100% divided by (4 to the power 125)...

which is a lot, lot, lot less than 25%!!

I would suggest OP to let DS do homework himself, so this won't become the whole family's stress. Then I agree with the above post, you can help your DS work out which is the core subject he need to put the most effor in, and which subject he can use minimum effort if without enough time. I am sure he will drop some subjects for GCSE.

It is important to choose a right school for DC. One friend's DS is really good at playing an instrument, he got into national youth Orchestra in Y7. Then they found they have made the wrong choice of the school. As the current school is very academic, although it has a very good Orchestra, but the pressure on academic is high. Also this school finish at 4pm everyday. So there are not enough time left for him to practice his instrument after all the home work. They now would prefer another school which finish at 3pm, and is more relax overall. So they are thinking about moving school if their DS has decided to go down music career.

Posted too soon - you only have a 25% chance of guessing ONE question right (or a 20% chance if there 5 answers to choose from) but not a 25% chance of passing the whole test by guessing every answer!

Artandco - " most of the 11+ exams are multiple choice anyway so you have a 25% chance of passing it blindly by just choosing a,b,c,d at guess."

Perhaps you should google some basic probability.

You have my genuine sympathy Breward, actually make that empathy! DD gets bogged down by the sheer amount of rote memorisation required by 2 MFLs and a Latin class and anything involving drawing, decorating, or designing spirals way out of control.

Luckily she is enjoying the core subjects and sciences. I don't think all this effort in the MFL will yield much useful knowledge in the end. I think it is a high effort, low reward situation. On the upside, if she gets through this she will learn to juggle, satisfice, and her perfectionism will be knocked on the head.

breward - the amount of German homework for a Yr9 sounds bonkers and why on earth are they entering for GCSE in Yr9? Did he do any German before starting secondary? My daughter is also in Yr9, doing German and she would really struggle with 150 words on environmental initiatives. She's just managed a few sentences about a German pop group she found on the internet, but it took a lot of googling and furrowed brows!

In your position I would be very inclined to get him into Air Cadets and support him in working out how he can do the bare minimum homework necessary to avoid getting into real trouble. Unless he's aiming for a career that needs art, three hours on art homework is ridiculous. Does he need to learn when it's OK not doing his "best work" in the interests of doing something else that will be better for him in the long run?

I'm certain DD1's school would be supportive of that approach if we discussed it with them. They are very big on the value of extra-curricular stuff. But only you can tell whether yours would be at all accommodating.

Artandco - Tonbridge School runs courses during the year, at Easter and all through the summer to prepare DC for the 11+. They are chock a block full of DCs who also have tutors.

Another victim of a stupid school doing early entry for GCSE

So, one family in Kent doesn't, and has never, received tuition. Not quite the assertive 'nobody' then

Ok everyone in our family who live there has never tutored. I have younger siblings and nieces and nephews all at grammar who started within the last few years. None tutor and I'm 100% sure of that. They just sat exam as if it was a normal sat test ( that they don't revise at home for either). Same as myself and other siblings and cousins did before them, same as parents before that.

Lol nobody tutors.

Artandco - In Kent where the most grammar schools are, nobody tutors.

I would love to see what the people on the following forum think of that comment:

www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/11plus/viewforum.php?f=19

In Kent where the most grammar schools are, nobody tutors.

You just keep telling yourself that. It might become true.

Of course they're mostly bloody tutored. Our local grammar is trying to discourage it to no avail.

"In Kent where the most grammar schools are, nobody tutors."

This is one of the funniest things I've read in quite some time.

If a child want to be a good scientist , then he need spend time on get his homework properly done, and maybe read relative subjects in depths?

I agree with 'HeighHo''s anecdotal evidence with regards this statement. Lots of studying increases knowledge as well as proficiency in subjects like maths and languages but does not increase creative, lateral thinking; attributes which are so important for good scientists A DC needs time to mentally 'free-wheel' and not just have their time filled with organised activities.

"In Kent where the most grammar schools are, nobody tutors."

And yet there seems to be a huge 11+ tutoring industry thriving in Kent.

Despite the fact that apparently nobody tutors.

Maybe the difference is people who are at state primaries who are trying to "top up" their chidlren's education so that they can access selective secondaries?

Autumn, we live in London. Children at highly competitive private, where nobody we know tutors and the school really discourage it. Everyone moves on to places like St. Paul's without an extra £7k tutor fee as you mention someone did

Artandco, you must live in a different UK, your story is so different from what I hear from news and website. Just have a look at 11+ forum, you will see what people do to get into grammar schools. I have to say I don't know from my own experience, as we are not in a grammar school area, so the atmosphere in our primary school is quite relax. But we have started to have some homework from year 3 now. Not much though, 1 piece of work with 15 maths question for a week.

I have no idea Autumn. I think it is very competitive, and there is a lot of tutoring going on.

I don't think the quantity of homework is as important as the quality of homework. I also think you get diminishing marginal benefits from every extra 20 minutes of homework per night. There comes a point where it gets silly and it becomes a waste of time.

St. Paul's is a private school though not a grammar. A grammar has to offer places of there is one to anyone who passes test, not those who only get 100%. A private school in comparison can choose anyone got any reason, which is often filtered down to the top 1% due to space.

Isn't London the most competitive area with so many grammar schools and independant schools, that children have to attend not only 1 exam, but a few exams to find a suitable school? Rencently there is a news that a lady spend more than £7k on tution per month to get her son into St Pauls at age 7+.