Does your child's school use a system that allows parents to see what their homework is?

DD’s school uses firefly. She has a log-in we don’t but we know her password and check together with her if we feel she has an issue coping (potential SEN which means she struggles with time management).

SMHW here too and SIMS parent for achievements, timetables, reports etc.

Works well. Kids (Y11 & Y8) know what to do, as do I but I let them get on and trust they do it. The school issue sanctions if it's not completed so they know it's up to them. Their school do ask that any revisions type HW is completed with notes/mindmap/flash cards etc as proof they have actually sat down and done it rather than just checking it off as completed.

Firefly here too, but no parent login, and DS has been told by school not to give parents his login. On the basis that it's his homework, not ours. He talks to us a bit about what he's got and what he's doing, but he's basically responsible for doing it and marking it as 'done', checking emails from teachers etc. We have a separate app for reports, parent emails etc. System seems to work well.

SMHW here too, no other data apart from homework on it though. Can access it via the web or an app, the app can notify you when homework is set.

No, they have a planner and they're supposed to write it down. They spend a lot of time on WhatsApp, asking one another what the homework is from what I can see.

I wish they did have an app - would be much better!

No, my dd has a homework journal and she has to write it down

The school I work at uses show my homework for both students and parents to see.

My kids school uses Google classroom but like yours, they don't have the parent bit activated. So it's for students only.

They were quite clear that they had though long and hard about it and they wanted students to be responsible for themselves and independent. So they chose not to have a parent bit. It is a selective school though so the vast majority are hardworking bright students who are likely to do their homework!

Yes, Class Charts, me and DS both use the app.

DSs school use something called Connect. I have my own login and can access all homework, resources and also see attendance, detentions and rewards.

It can be a disadvantage if DS thinks I’m checking and he gets lazy assuming I’ll remind him. I realised this early on and he now knows it is his responsibility to keep on top.

The best thing about it is that they have upgraded it this year (he’s Y10) and there are lots of revision resources on there.

Yes, Show My Homework

One DS's school uses Show my Homework, the other uses Google Classroom, and a paper planner.

Other than dutifully signing the planner (when I remember), I haven't actually looked online since the first couple of weeks in Year 7 for either of them.

One parent I know is constantly all over WhatsApp trying to work out teacher's lesson plans etc - child is in Year 11, and it appears that she micro-manages everything. I don't know how she has the time or energy.

One of mine uses Show My Homework but its really intended for students rather than parents, DD is dyslexic and used to struggle to get her homework written into her old paper planner at the end of a lesson when everyone is in a rush so its brilliant for her. We also have a separate parents app with reports, school letters, calendar etc.

Yes they use show my homework.

My sons school uses Show my homework. I get weekly updates about what homework he should be doing. Downside I find is when he has cooking and the list of ingredients are on there, only because I forget to look into the app. Otherwise I find it very a very useful reminder tool.

We use Show my homework at the school i work in. The downside being pupils can tick things off when not actually completed depending on the format its set in.
We also use epraise but only internally.
Parents have no access to behaviour and attendance data unless we choose to share it with them.

Used to use Edmodo. Just moved to Show My HomeWork which is an app.

Yes. Class Charts.
I'm lucky that DS is on the ball with homework so I don't check it every day.

No. They say students need to learn responsibility. I'm very glad.

Many schools I've worked in have used ClassCharts or Show My Homework.

It's always worth remembering that the instructions are for the students, not parents so things like "complete the homework sheet given in class" is totally acceptable. If they aren't in class they have to get caught up.

They're useful platforms but I'll be honest I find it another level of work and one that seems to lay the ground for excuses (eg couldn't do the homework set in class with resources in class because my mobile data ran out / DC couldn't revise for their test because we didn't have show my homework this weekend / DC couldn't do the homework they've had over a week to do because the teacher put it onto show my homework in their PPA on Wednesday when it was set in Tuesday's lesson / DC couldn't do the homework because they were at their Gran's on Tuesday night so didn't have access online even though you did a reminder in Tuesday's lesson and they had their books).

Yes, Epraise and the teachers always seem to attach worksheets or other resources to the item.

Bloody hell I'm glad I'm not teaching any more.

I have no involvement in my secondary school children's homework beyond asking them whether they've done it and testing them on their MFL vocabulary or anything else they have an upcoming test on and ask me to test them on.

This is the payoff for primary being a stressful time during which children of 6-10 are expected to take complete responsibility except when they're struggling when parents get sent a rude letter in which they are told off and instructed to ensure their child's homework is complete, neat, on time, that they haven't done the wrong page in the text book (dc3's main offence aside from not writing all of the homework down at all is not writing the page number down but thinking he remembers, or not writing which number is the page and which the task number so doing task 6 on page 7 instead of task 7 on page 6...) but the teachers don't see ensuring that the children all actually know what the homework is and what books they need as their responsibility...

It's a bit survival of the fittest and my 8 year old is really struggling atm.

I see why this is very nice to have at primary or if your child has SEN or other difficulties, but am surprised it's become a normal thing at secondary, how on earth do teachers have time to actually plan interesting, differentiated lessons and teach and mark with all the admin on top?

For children with no special challenges isn't it a bit infantalising too? No need to take any responsibility until 16+ seems a bit counterproductive...

My daughter's school used firefly. She has a login and I have one as well. I can see homework assigned plus and behaviour marks or merit marks.

Yes Go4schools. Really helpful can see homework set, completed and pending. Helps me to help them stay on top

My children's school uses the Go4school site. I think it is pretty good, everything is updated in real time and I can see homework, attendance, behaviour record etc.

Yes, schoology, although I believe they are planning to move over to a different system this year. Works well: there is a parent log in which just shows homework and a student log in that also has facility to message teacher/shared chat spaces eg for those in the musical/messages to all year group etc.