Why is homework in primary seen as "bad"

[Iamwaiting]

Inspired by a few other threads. I'm not a teacher or in education so I'm genuinely interested in perspectives, plus those with older children who have been through/ going through primary.

Why is homework viewed so negatively?

Context... I have a DD in reception. She finishes school at 3. We come home (5 min walk) and do her homework (set by me.) 15/20 mins of reading, 5 mins of writing (tricky words / practicing writing words with "igh" sounds for instance / following wibbly lines for pen holding) and 5 mins of simple maths.

Finished by just after 3.30 leaving 4 hours to play / go to clubs / see her friends before bed. Same thing at the weekend but we do it in the morning.

But so many threads on here seem to imply homework is awful in primary, certainly reception. But I genuinely don't understand why. Surely it's just getting her used to a concept that will become increasingly important as she gets older?

For context she can ride a bike, swim well, climb a tree etc etc. Not boasting but just to show she is still enjoying lots of activities despite the "evil" homework!

@Koalasparkles I personally think it's sad that 10 minutes of simple extra work now constitutes "pushy."

If you were a bright child I imagine you would have done well anyway without all the homework hot-housing at home. Imaginary games are how a child learns and makes sense of their world. It is sad to read that your parents prevented that.

I have the same level of qualifications as you but homework at a young age wasn't a thing. My childhood was actually pretty difficult. My parents encouraged me to play outdoors a lot and my sister and I spent literally days and days playing imaginary games together. I feel like they are the experiences that broadened my mind and made me an independent, creative thinker, rather than doing enforced homework. My parents had their problems but they always read to me every night and I remember playing word games in the bath sometimes. They also read a lot as well for pleasure themselves, so I was brought up to value books and that helped. Its the whole environment that shapes a child and their development, not just prescriptive school-work and making a child do what their parent wants.

Everyday after a full day of school on top of the homework they're already set and they're only in reception? Yep I would say that is pushy tbh

Sometimes it may feel like setting something the sake of it because that is what the school policy sets out rather than it being a worthwhile task. At that age too the emphasis is on parental involvement and engagement, it’s just another thing to remember to do.

Homework was originally set up to promote a hard work ethic but I think in the fast pace of modern life it’s actually outdated to be set so frequently. I’m a secondary school teacher and my life would be so much easier if homework didn’t exist, I imagine lots of primary teachers feel the same way.

I've already explained my main issues with the homework mine were all set in primary, but I also fully agree with all of you who point out that the children might only have an hour of free time in the evening, and 'having' to spend that time doing school homework is just wrong. Like many others, we encouraged our kids to learn things about their interests. Maths and reading were just built into everyday stuff (like baking or shopping or board games). If they wanted to find out about things - whether that was volcanos, dinosaurs or stained glass windows, we'd look it up together. So learning was just a thing that happened anyway, whenever they were interested in something. And if they just wanted to chill, that was fine. They liked to read their own books so school reading was just another chore. At least from Y3 they could choose their own books. I honestly feel that the homework mine got from school was just a time sink that got in the way of their actually learning interesting things.

I have
1 dc finish 3pm
1 finishes 3. 15
1 finishes 3.20
1 college various finishes
All different schools. In a 10 mile radius.
We do school runs between myself and family member for the 3 younger kids.
So home by 3.50
Then :
M- dc1 has swimming 4.30 till 5 ( home 5.10 quick pasta dinner then dc2 has cubs 6 till 7.

T. Dc 3 football generally 5pm various places from 10 min to 30 min drive away

W all 3 dcs MMA 5 till 6

Th dc 3 has beavers 5 till 6

Fri no club's

the dc all want to do these before people say it's too much

We are in and out the car like yoyos that's without college drop offs and collecting when trains delayed or college overruns, trains cancelled etc.

We just about manage to fit in homework. I don't know how
As by time home each evening, dinner, play toys, baths or showers. Time runs away.
Reading books 4x a week

Ita different for each household, work, clubs, amount of dcs all play a part.

I get that. My own kid hates homework. 😄

"It's sad to hear your parents prevented that"?! The fact I spent a bit of time outside school on academic studies doesn't mean I wasn't allowed to be a child and go outside, play games, have friends, spend time with my imagination doing art, exploring, make believe etc, - that was a very narrow minded and frankly very rude comment to make full of unkind assumptions.

I think it depends on the homework.
Largely, I think homework at primary level is set for either two purposes:
x Trying to engage parents in their education
x Setting something pointless but then they can say they’ve given homework. (Required by some heads).

I think what you’ve described, choosing things to reinforce/ supplement her education is great.

I think carefully chosen homework to help reinforce things or extend learning is great. But what might be great for one child, is a waste of time or too hard for another. Or other families simply don’t have the time to do this extra thing due to their child spending a lot of time in school & childcare and it just eats into their family time.

Homework should definitely be optional, and I like the system you’ve developing of choosing your own.

My KS1&2 aged homeschooled children usually get a piece of homework from their foreign language class and I love that they get it. I’ll put it in their pile 2-4 days after and they work on it independently whilst waiting for me to work with them 1-to-1. Sometimes I find extra sheets around the same topic online. Or have them watch a YouTube video. 😁 But I’d find extra work beyond the maths lessons we do totally pointless.

Really depends on the homework and the family set up.

I’m a teacher and a parent.

Children learn best through play, and need rest for their learning to be consolidated.
If their time is jam-packed with school, then more school, and extracurricular activities, many won’t have time to rest.

What’s potentially worse if how homework makes learning just another task they ‘have to do’ rather than something they want to do. Learning should be fun, and something innate in children’s development. Traditional schooling, including homework, can easily take the fun out of learning and damage a child’s approach to education for the rest of their life.

Also, studies show that homework has either no educational benefits or actually has negative effects on a child’s academic achievements.

it definitely depends on the child, schools, the homework itself and maybe age.

mine hated homework and would get anxious & cry a lot over it so we didn't push it. He moved school and now in Year 5 he loves homework and he's proud when he hands stuff in.

New school says there are no homework expectations but if you fancy doing it then great. if you don't then it's no problem 😊

Can you know circumstances though? You seem really smug. I'd imagine a lot of parents are working either at home or out of the home. So not home by 3.05 like you. So as pp said you're not going to get much good out of them post 6pm.

There seems to be a real challenge on here with posters not being able to comprehend other people's circumstances which may mean they view thing differently to them.

Supporting learning is not doing homework. And that is where the issue is. It is in effect "busy work". A couple of school years on and you more than likely will not be au fait with the current pedagogical approach to a subject and unwittingly cause confusion and learner frustration.

Supporting learning for parents looks like, engaging in every day tasks in application of the learning. Counting out plates, playing along with tv quiz, encouraging their imagination through play and their curiosity through adventure.

I hold a PhD in an education subject, review of research highlights the issues that your approach can have for some children. By all means do what you choose in your home but be aware of that it isn't adding educational value - does that change your view on your childs time being spent doing your tasks?

Teacher of 15+ years here. Research does not show homework to be beneficial, especially in primary. Next.

I am not in education either but we looked round loads of schools last year and I asked this question! Here at least, the prevailing opinion seems to be that it isn’t ‘bad’, it's just that the research suggests that, other than reading/phonics, homework at their age isn't particularly effective. And I guess if your child doesn't enjoy it then it can create negative feelings about school/stop them feeling home is a place to rest from schoolwork. That said, if your child likes doing it then no reason why you shouldnt do it - it's just another activity you can enjoy together!

We have five degrees between two of us, and speak four languages (degrees were in medicine politics and economics). Neither of us had any homework until secondary school. Mind you that was when there was a functioning education system in this country and not a collection of money making MATs paying outrageous salaries to "business tycoons".

Not everyone has the luxury of being able to collect their child everyday at 3:15. Also, some people have more than 1 child and they’re needy when they get home, they want to let off some steam as they’ve held it together all day so after 6 hours of school, more learning isn’t needed the second they walk through the door. Children and parents want to try and spend some time together in the short time they have in the evenings, between making tea, bathing them etc, after a long day, parents are just as knackered as the children. So for many families, it gets to 7:30pm (if you’re lucky), your ass finally touches the chair and now you need to try to do their reading book, they’re tired, you’re all tired and it gets really irritating if I’m being honest. Home reading isn’t too bad, it’s the other stuff they add on as the years go by.

Because it's unnecessary. Your child has plenty of time to learn about expectations when they are -older. Just like the rest of the human population has done for hundreds of years.

This age is about learn through play; not to be overstimulated by an overbearing parent setting homework. Especially when you are not her teacher and neither have you been asked by the school to set this homework, I presume?

Why do you think not setting your child homework is a bad thing? Will she suffer for it? She doesn't need to sit and learn, you can also do it via singing, play, talking etc.

I feel you might be projecting some form of fear and anxiety over obsessive learning, onto your young child and maybe this is an issue you need to tackle for yourself. It also seems a little obnoxious.

It annoys me because I have to facilitate it being done whilst they are still in primary. We are already reading daily, doing swimming and another activity after school, and when we get home I need to make dinner, clean/do chores and occasionally have a work call before dinner. Sitting down and cajoling my two primary aged children into completing homework is not something I want to do!
High school is different as they can complete the work independently.

Research shows that homework doesn't have any impact on children's learning in the primary years. So it's a bit of a waste of everyone's time! https://www.sec-ed.co.uk/content/best-practice/research-analysis-getting-the-most-out-of-homework/

Worked in senior management in a number of primary school over the years and believe it when I say that other than reading, spelling and multiplication tables, teachers would rather not give homework. However, it is ‘expected’. Whenever parental questionnaires were sent out and asked about homework, a large % of parents felt there was NOT enough homework and an equal % felt there was TOO much. So schools can’t win!

If the % were equal then it sounds like you were giving just the right amount of homework tbh? 🤷🏼‍♀️

I don’t have a problem with homework per se. When my eldest (now 22) was at primary he came home with spellings, reading and a bit of maths. My youngest, however, (currently year 4) comes home with 3 times the amount and really does take all week. We spend usually 6+ hours at the weekend getting everything required prepped for him to get going on. It’s ridiculous. With after school clubs sometimes he’s doing homework until 9pm. I don’t know whether it’s a case of education has changed so much or whether it’s because my youngest attends a faith school and understand that they can be a bit “extra” in this regard. So, as I say, I’m not against it per se, I just wish there was a bit less of it.

You’ve had a single child in school for 6 months? Maybe see how you feel in a few years. Look around at other parents with multiple children, and listen when teachers say it’s pointless and kids say the work is boring. It may work for a very small minority, but you can see that it doesn’t work for most people.

Because we as parents end up having to sit and cajool, check, explain to the child. It's really home educating an already tired child. It's even harder with a neurodiverse child to do it. However, I guess it's seen by some as - you've been working all day and you have to come home and do more. How would we like it?

I loved homework in Primary school (over 30 years ago) as it was something to do! My grammar secondary school didn't believe in it and only really coursework was given or revision for exams. No one got below a C grade in anything.

I have a neurodiverse child who needs exercise or to be left to game or whatever. It's a big enough fight to get him to read. However, he's doing very well academically so I'm not pushing it. Go with what works for you.

Education is a marathon, not a sprint!