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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be annoyed that DS gets hardly any homework in YR 5?

111 replies

olimpia · 07/05/2012 20:56

That's it really. Wondering what is a normal workload for yr 5 pupil. He gets 1 piece of literacy homework a week where he has to research something on the Internet without any indication of required length so he's over in 15 minutes. Sometimes he gets a few maths exercises too. Some weeks he gets nada.

OP posts:
FourEyesGood · 07/05/2012 20:59

Don't be annoyed. If you want him to do more work, make some for him. He'll love you for it. Grin

Otherwise, let him be a child in the evenings. He'll get plenty of pointless homework when he's at secondary school.

[teacher]

lumbago · 07/05/2012 21:00

You set him some then.
I loathe homework. Utterly pointless till ks4

squeakytoy · 07/05/2012 21:00

Would you be happy if you got work to take home and do in your free time every night?

Original poster
olimpia · 07/05/2012 21:01

But the result is that he spends all his time on Xbox

OP posts:
workshy · 07/05/2012 21:02

my DD gets about the same, if that

she's doing well so I don't worry and am secretly quite relieved as I don't pick her up until 6 which gives me 2 hours to make tea, eat tea, supervise showers, make sure bags are packed for school and clean uniform is ready so homework as well would be a stretch

Fifivisage · 07/05/2012 21:02

Their childhood is so short, I don't believe in homework till secondary school.

bijou3 · 07/05/2012 21:03

My children get so much it makes me want to cry sometimes. I would buy him the bond books if youre worried.

LynetteScavo · 07/05/2012 21:04

So you think if he got loads of homework he would spend less time on the x box? Hmm

Just take the X box away. Tell him to go out and do something less boring instead.

MrsTerryPratchett · 07/05/2012 21:05

Um, don't let him spend all his time on the XBox... HTH

FredFredGeorge · 07/05/2012 21:06

Him spending all his time on xbox has nothing to do with how much home work the teacher chooses to give. And all about how you choose to look after him. It is not the teachers job to do anything with your child outside of school. That's yours. I'd encourage him into other things if you don't want him doing xbox all the time.

Personally I'd go for physical activities as that's likely much more valuable than more homework.

difficultpickle · 07/05/2012 21:06

Can't you encourage hobbies, after school activities? I'm not sure having lots of homework would deter him from his xbox.

Original poster
olimpia · 07/05/2012 21:09

I feel lack of homework is making him lazy. I wouldn't if he read a book or played an instrument or something but seeing a 10 year old play Halo all afternoon instead of learning, practicing or otherwise using his brain just feels wrong. If I try to limit Xbox time he complains that he's got nothing else to do and just sulks.

OP posts:
perfectpins · 07/05/2012 21:13

My dd goes pt and they have a no homework policy. School believes that if they teach well at school they don't need any.

FourEyesGood · 07/05/2012 21:13

If I try to limit Xbox time he complains that he's got nothing else to do and just sulks.

So you want the teacher to be the baddy instead of you?

Original poster
olimpia · 07/05/2012 21:13

It's a battle to get him to do sports too. I've managed to persuade him to do roller skating once a week but nothing more. He says he's tired coming home from school and doesn't want to do any sports.
I'm not a lazy mum. I would take him to sports of he was willing to do them.

OP posts:
glamourousgranny42 · 07/05/2012 21:15

Don't worry next year he will have loads of homework for bloody sats (pointless, divisive etc etc).I don't think ur problem is hw anyway, its finding alternative activities.

Original poster
olimpia · 07/05/2012 21:17

foureyesgood that's not the point!
I don't want school to give him work so that he doesn't play on the Xbox as much. I just don't understand how other children in state schools get much more than him and I do feel that he should do more work while at home.

OP posts:
KingscoteStaff · 07/05/2012 21:20

He won't ration his own XBox use. That's your job.

And yes, for the first week he will sulk, slouch around the house and complain that he's bored.

Then, guess what! He'll find something to do! It may not be competetive sport - that's not every 10yo's idea of fun. But you might find the lego back out, or the guitar taken out of its dust-covered case. If it's drums, then you can always give the XBox back...

LibrarianByDay · 07/05/2012 21:21

YABU

Read Caitlin Moran's article which was in Saturday's Times magazine. She has homework sussed - i.e. a pointless exercise which only measures parental input.

MrsTerryPratchett · 07/05/2012 21:23

Seeing a 10-year old playing Halo full stop would be a problem for me.

Ragwort · 07/05/2012 21:26

I sympathise with you but we are probably in the minority Grin. My DS is now in Y6 and barely gets ten minutes half an hour homework a week. However it is recommended that he does at least 15 minutes a night reading, can your DS do this? I used to download worksheets from the internet for my DS to do. I find it hard to understand why some schools seem to give so much homework and some so little; I have raised it with every teacher but they all say the same 'some parents like homework, some don't - teachers can't win Grin'. However I am told DS is on target to achieve 'above average' SATs results so perhaps it really doesn't matter?

FWIW I don't allow my DS to have an Xbox Grin.

FredFredGeorge · 07/05/2012 21:30

"I'd take him to the sports ..." that's the mistake I'd say, you could be doing things with him, rather than telling him to do things.

AKissIsNotAContract · 07/05/2012 21:31

Halo is rated M, he is 7 years too young to be playing it.

Dee03 · 07/05/2012 21:31

My ds is in yr 5 and he usually gets 2 lots of homework a week
One english
One maths

MrsTerryPratchett · 07/05/2012 21:35

Try this. He can earn XBox time with Khan time, or chores time or exercise time. I still wouldn't allow Halo.