To think that a lot of schools give out loads of homework because.....

[Martorana]

...they think it impresses parents,

"It must be a good school! they have three hours of homework a night"

And that they are wrong- most parents think some homework is a good idea, but they also want their children to have time to do other things.

In p3 my DS had loads of homework so I asked how much time they expected it to take, teacher said airily 'oh, around 15 minutes' so from then on we did 15 minutes a night then stopped, even if we were in the middle of something. Transformed our home life to be honest.

Now in p4 his very switched-on teacher gives 10 spellings and around 10 maths questions, and you're expected to read with them too of course. Perfect amount imo.

Thing is children never stop learning. To you it's a picture of a cartoon character to them they have remembered what they looked like, recalled the story, talked using expanding vocabulary, maybe measured things, over come difficulties/solved problems (where something fits in or adjusted size of something), used shapes and colours and imagination and most of all relaxed and had fun.

It's rarely just a picture. And how a sheet of homework teaches more than that I don't know.

I don't bring work home. I still learnt somethimg that day.

I don't have a problem with homework. What I have a problem with is the content of the homework.

Dd1 regularly has maths sheets that are basically playing a game with mum and are far to simple for her. I would rather she had a proper set of questions that she has to actually think about.

I think homework at secondary should be reading around the subject, before a lesson or further reading after the lesson

What I hate is homework given for the sake of it.

Reading the next chapter, learning tables, a bit of maths, revision for tests are all ok.

Silly, pointless tasks, making models and the like, just so homework has been given are a waste of time ( and usually it's my time.)

DH thinks work should be done in school, and in school only. He would advocate for a longer school day instead.

Ken. I'd love to write that too. Although they just kept in at lunchtime until they do it.

I really don't mind the worksheets. I always thought the point of homework was so that the teacher could see what had sunk in during a lesson and how much the children understood. Fine. DD does those worksheets with me wafting around providing encouragement.

Building stupid stuff from yoghurt pots and papier-mâché - not fine. Complete waste of time and money and utterly pointless

And DD1 is in secondary - half the homework she gets hasn't even been covered in class yet - she had a maths sheet to do last night, she didn't have a clue as they'd only touched on it at the end of the lesson, but the teacher wanted them to 'give it a go'. WE had to Google as I couldn't remember either

Again, pointless, it's not checking DD1's understanding of the subject, it's testing her Mum's memory from being at school 20 + years ago/ability to use a search engine

I do tell parents that I want their child to work for no more than twenty minutes on any homework that I do give (and to write me a note to let me know). If it takes them longer than that, then I need to address why.

My ds is in p4 and gets what i think is the right amount if homework (except for those bloody projects that involve me!) i like a small amount of homework as it lets me see the level he is working at and if he's capable of more and swinging his legs (he is )

20 minutes is about how long it takes ds midnite

Can I ask a genuine question midnite?

I'm not being rude I promise.

When you have a primary class, surely you must see how tired they get. How concentration lapses how they get fidgety and how even the more able children just "stop" taking in anymore formal learning.

How can teachers expect a class full of fidgety tired kids who have clearly had enough, to go home for even 20 mins and do more work?

Many kids are at CM or ASC or at grand parents etc. They aren't home til any time after 5 and some even stay over night.

Weekends kids have their dads to go to or a birthday party or a siblings swim class etc.

I know they feel that 10 days is enough to do this work in but really structure of the day, meal times, bedtimes, hell even taking a bath is more important. Oarebts have jobs and washing and ironing and cooking and cleaning etc to do

Where are children honestly supposed to find this optimum time where they are well rested, fully awake, the washing is alllll put away etc.?

Again I'm not trying to be rude or funny but as a teacher you must realise how a good meal and a run around and an early bed time are the ultimate contributions to a child's ability to learn as best as they can.
:)

I used to be a primary school governor. Every year we surveyed the parents on homework, and every year 50% thought there was too much and 50% thought there was too little.

My 5 year old gets what I think is too much homework. Reading- fine- big maths little maths (which IMO is very hard for 5 years old, ) fine- the rest which includes between one and three extra tasks= too much.
And projects which dd loves, and I'm none too shabby at are always a disappointment. Last term it was safari themed, we worked hard drying flowers, and twigs and shit, she drew out her animals and stuck on her plants- it took ages, and she was very proud, but it looked like what it was- a mess of glue, barely identifiable animals and too much glitter done by a five year old- she came home crying because hers was 'crap' I went to speak to the teacher (not least to query the word crap! ) and she showed me the other childrens offerings, there is no way the children had anything to do with them, unless this little Welsh village is harbouring ALL of the countries best budding artists. Turns our people buy them from the lady who does the Easter bonnets (another thing I was making myself)
It's not fair on anyone- the children who work and can't compete with the adults work, the adults who haven't the time to do it, the children who don't like doing it, so adults do it for them, the adults who haven't either the time to do it or the money to pay for the crap/or to pay someone else to do it.

:( pregnant

That's far too much.

Of course the parents do it. One project we had, done kids had hand outs ffs (do yr 2s really think to do handouts??!!)

Models, full blown presentations. By 7 yr olds

Gileswithachainsaw - I set my twenty minutes of homework on a Monday and it is due the following Monday. So they have seven days to do a maximum of twenty minutes work (most students would complete it in about ten). I don't set long projects that need doing, or anything that require parents to go and buy any materials.

As I've already said, I'd be ecstatic to never set homework, but until you convince my boss and many other parents otherwise, then this is my compromise.

pregnantpause what was the outcome of querying the word 'crap'???

Thank you midnite

A child had said it, the teacher was aware (he had denounced all but his own as crap) and words had been had with his parents and to the class about respect and good and bad words (they're not supposed to be speaking in English anyway- and if they are speaking English I would prefer it not to be of the crap variety)

I have mixed feelings concerning this.

In an ideal world I'd like no homework. However in an ideal world I'd also like to be able to trust teachers to be able to assess and teach every child appropriately.

In my experience the homework has highlighted what my DC is able to do, allowing for progression in learning. Actually this has resulted in teaching at home through the homework set, especially project work, reading comprehension and maths.

Controversial I know, but since my DC was given a label of SEN, some teachers unfortunately have held low aspirations, so our support and encouragement at home has been all the more useful.

IEPs, in the past, have even included advice for learning support at home. Annoying since we are not employees and they are supposed to lay out the provision within school (especially regarding accountability for Statemented funding!).

Thankfully they don't have too much homework at our school. I would not be impressed with 3 hours homework a night!

Divided on this one. I do notice that when we sit down with DS (Reception) and help him with his writing, remind him about finger spaces and letter shapes and generally make him focus, his writing improves radically. Not just that session but for the next few days. We're a bit lazy, so the fact school ask him to do some writing in his book every week helps us remember to do this. Some weeks when he hasn't wanted to we've just taken a picture of a drawing or writing he's done at home and stuck that in instead.

Like with the reading, I can see DS flourishing and learning loads when we can give him 1:1 attention which he can't often get at school in the nature of things.

We don't get much more focussed homework yet. He's enjoyed when school send colouring sheets home. He'd love it if they sent some maths home but they haven't yet; wouldn't want to be making him do something like that if he didn't want to though.

pregnant that is appalling - and surely the teachers must see straight through it? I've never done my DDs' model making stuff for them, it's always been their own work, and they have frequently been given awards for them because the teachers know when a parent has done it and when a child has done it themselves.

Midnite your approach sounds eminently sensible.

I think the amount of homework is fine, but, like Giles said when do you fit it in?
We tend to do Wednesday evening as dh is at home to help. However, it always ends in tears, is messy due to rushing and the children seem to dread it all week!

The best part is Ds year 2 teacher assures me the children know how to play the maths games, have been taught them in school and need no adult input.
So why do I always have to help? Aaaaagghh!

I'm sure some teachers set homeworks on some subjects so the teaching of them is easier. On more than one occasion my DC has received homework for which there has been very little or no input from school in terms of teaching.

There seems also to be a lot of time in school spent on the fun easy stuff. For example design and make a maths game at home and play it in school.

I don't complain though, if I have to give the teaching input at home. However this is purely because of the low aspirations point I made earlier. I do not like to encourage any low aspirations being held over my child, if I can help it.

We do homework on Monday and Tuesday nights as a group so I get to play teacher as it stops the 'but he/she's not doing' routine.

I don't mind homework usually but I do object to random changes to when it's supposed to be in. Sorry, but when we've planned a weekend with friends or family a 'suprise it's due Monday' homework is not appreciated.

That said, I do do lots with the biters above and beyond school set homework by way of sites, sheets and games during the week so I feel that weekends should be as much fun & family as possible.