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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that ds's school shouldn't give projects over school holidays

180 replies

Glassofwineneeded · 21/12/2015 16:18

My ds 9 has a project to do over the Christmas holidays. 10 + pages are expected.
My thoughts are that school holidays should be for relaxing and not for doing massive projects in year 4!
As this is the Christmas holidays we have lots planned including 3 days spent with family and then my ds is going to his dad's. As well as other days out etc it makes it hard to find time to fit project work in and make a decent job of it.
He is currently working on it now when what I want to do is curl up on the sofa with him and watch a festive film!
So AIBU ?

OP posts:
Ragwort · 21/12/2015 16:48

kids are shattered. everyone has had their children crying wailing and tantrumming or sleeping and poorly for the last two weeks

That is something of an exaggeration to say the least - I don't think my child has ever been 'shattered' at the end of term or or crying, waiting and trantrumming etc. Hmm

YouTheCat · 21/12/2015 16:51

Just because yours isn't shattered, doesn't mean other people's kids aren't.

It's been a long term. I'm knackered. If someone then said 'oh can you just get this 10 page report done over the holidays, I'd have told them to shove it.

echt · 21/12/2015 16:51

YANBU. I've been teaching for 35+ years, and have never set weekend or holiday homework for non-exam classes. Holidays are for relaxing. Can you contact the teacher by email? I'd be dropping her a line saying your DS will start on this work when term begins.

Bounced · 21/12/2015 16:52

I agree with the OP - no evidence that homework (apart from reading) has any effect on learning in primary school.

As it happens, my 4yo has chosen to read to me quite a bit (it's a nice lie-in activity) and my 7yo has played some maths games on the iPad, but those are things that are a) easy for me to do and b) their choice. Completely different to something imposed by school.

teeththief · 21/12/2015 16:52

Send it to his dad's with him, then blame his dad when it isn't done in time for school Grin yanbu

mintoil · 21/12/2015 16:53

I am a teacher. I would let my own 9 year old DC decide whether they wanted to do a ten page project over the Christmas holidays or not. One would probably do it and the other would not. I think aged 9 it's a tad excessive.

Gileswithachainsaw · 21/12/2015 16:54

only on MN would spending Xmas holidays doing a 10 page essay at the age of 9 be acceptable Hmm

always one or two though I guess

WoodHeaven · 21/12/2015 16:54

I wouldn't have a major issue with homework during the hols (even though just like the OP I find it can very hard to fit them in when you are working as a parent and therefore children are spending their time at places where they can't do homework)
However, homework at Christams?? Now that is a crazy thing to do....

wasabipeanut · 21/12/2015 16:55

YANBU. This holiday is so short given the length of the preceding term. By the time you've done Xmas & new year and seen some relatives it's basically time to go back to school. I read with mine over Xmas but that's it.

CarlaJones · 21/12/2015 16:56

Yanbu.

WoodHeaven · 21/12/2015 16:56

Ragworth fwiw, I have two dcs, one in primary the otherin secondary.
They are both shattered. They need the rest.
But none of them are tantrumming or anything (too okd for that) but temper do run short, they are pale, yawn all day long and generally just can't be bothered to do the things they enjoy doing.

Higge · 21/12/2015 16:58

Yanbu - I hate holiday homework - they do it as soon as they get it but worse than holiday homework is an exam on the day they are due back. It's hanging over their heads the entire time.

lostInTheWash · 21/12/2015 16:59

I have children very young for the year - who have gotten very tired by the end of term - honestly reception was a nightmare.

I know other children are boundless ball of energy - mine aren't they are very exhausted by end of term.

Last school was terrible every holiday there was home work - project work, research that started in reception - craft projects. They lost playtime if work wasn't done.

New school we got none of that some basic maths took 10 minutes and reading books. We are still doing our own support work, they have a few problems, but it's great not to have homework that often wasn't marked or looked at taking up entire days.

YANBU - I do think secondary school age is a bit different especially as neither DH or myself had any primary school homework but are educated beyond degree level.

MarkRuffaloCrumble · 21/12/2015 17:00

My friend always has a moan about this - we are not allowed to take them on holiday during term time, so that has to be done during the holidays, and yet they are still expected to complete homework projects during the school holidays, when this is the only time they are able to have leisure.

I don't agree with primary children having homework at all, so don't really push my DCs to do it. They can if they choose to and if they don't that's fine with me, they can take any consequences at school. If it was a big project like this rather than just making something fun, I'd send a letter saying that they haven't done it and why.

MarkRuffaloCrumble · 21/12/2015 17:02

Was going to say, despite moaning about it, my friend will still make her DCs do it. I think that if you don't agree with it, make a point. it's not at all because I'm too lazy to be on their backs about it constantly

SteamPunkGoth · 21/12/2015 17:05

He's year 4. So fuck it. Yanbu.

Titsalinabumsquash · 21/12/2015 17:05

I'd not make him do it and I'd explain why, it's ludicrous.

hefzi · 21/12/2015 17:06

Tell the school that it was more important your DC wrote proper thank you letters for her gifts, and thus it was impossible also to find time to produce a ten page project!

What on earth is it on? Something where they will be cutting out/finding/drawing lots of big pictures? Surely the expectation isn't, as a PP said, that it's ten pages of computer-written stuff?

Either way - YANBU!

alltouchedout · 21/12/2015 17:06

My 9 and 6 year olds have holiday homework. I'm ignoring it. They are on holiday. I am on bloody holiday. They aren't GCSE, A Level or students. Their lives will not be enriched by the stuff sent home for completion. If they ask to do it (Grin) we'll do it but otherwise, no. And I will happily say why, politely but firmly.

alltouchedout · 21/12/2015 17:07

*uni students

Anotherusername1 · 21/12/2015 17:09

I think it's totally unreasonable to set a project for the holidays however old you are (with the possible exception of year 11 but even then I don't remember having to spend the Christmas or even Easter holidays revising, only May half term).

We get told we can't take holiday in term-time (which I generally agree with) but they can't have it both ways. Term-time is for schoolwork, holidays are for holidays.

I would send a letter to school saying that my son was not doing schoolwork during the holidays and ask for a revised deadline in term-time. I don't care whether they frown on it or not. Do they really mean 10 pages? If typewritten that would be around 3000 words (I see someone said 5000 above, I guess it depends on the font size!). That seems like a lot to me, even for a child at secondary school.

And it doesn't matter whether you are a believer or not. Holidays are holidays, whether for Christmas, Easter, or a few days off. But assuming that you do celebrate Christmas whether secularly or on a religious basis, people have a lot of relatives to visit, people have elderly relatives they have to care for at this time of year, and it is not acceptable for schools to eat into that time.

LyndaNotLinda · 21/12/2015 17:09

DS is also in year 4. He has to write an account of Xmas day so about 500 words.

That's an acceptable level of Xmas homework at primary age I think.

10 pages is ridiculous, particularly when children of that age are entirely at the mercy of their family's plans

YoungGirlGrowingOld · 21/12/2015 17:13

Pretty surprised by all the people saying they will tell teacher why their kid hasn't done it! Not sure what that teaches your kids about a work ethic. My DNephew had homework every holiday (private school) so I thought it was normal Confused He is a lazy sausage though so no bad thing for him.

shouldwestayorshouldwego · 21/12/2015 17:14

I hate holiday homework too. If you are going do it can it include (large) pictures? Also to be fair you should only need to do 4.5 as your ex should pick up the rest. Tell the school to raise it with him if it isn't finished.

JacquesHammer · 21/12/2015 17:16

I don't think there's anything wrong with holiday homework provided its of a reasonable level.

For reference DD (age 9, year 4) got two sheets of a maths workbook which she did this morning. The other bit was to "read something fun every day"

Pretty decent and fair I thought