Is it too much homework?

[Esmeismyhero]

Ds is 5 and in reception. He is doing really well but still doesn't have a great attention son etc.

His homework and reading homework at getting on top of him though.

He has 5 or more pages of writing and phonics to do a week, then they have a reading book and a phonic book on a Monday and it's changed on a Friday so that's 4 books to do reading in.

Then they have a game like phonics cards each night to do as well.

I have a record book I need to write this all in etc which is fine.

My dh and I read to the dc every night and we do reading at weekends etc but I feel this is a bit too much homework for a reception child.

By the time he has come home from school, had his dinner, bath and then homework he is shattered and he goes to be at about 7pm otherwise I wouldn't get him up in the morning.

Maybe IABU but is that too much?

^^

what she said

Wow that is loads. My eldest is year 5 and she only has spellings to learn each week. Obviously reading books. Then 1 piece of maths and 1 piece of literacy which is given on a Thursday to be brought in on the Monday. My youngest is in year 1. They have 2 reading books which can be changed 3 times a week. Phonics. And words to learn to read. That is all so far.

Well, we know why the school gets such good results! I think are some DC who do well in these sorts of environments, but they're in the minority.

Sounds as though you need to reconsider your school options, especially for DD. What are the other schools in the area like?

Although....
What time does DS finish school? It just occurred to me that if school finished at 2pm as some do then perhaps it's not so bad as parents can then do the 'homework' at home in place of the extra lesson that most kids would get?

No school finishes at 320pm starts 840am.

Well I tried to do ds homework with him and he cried and messed around so called it quits, I wrote a note to the teacher asking till Friday to do it so we can try again tomorrow night.

Ah, pity. Yup sounds like it's not a suitable school for your DC unfortunately. Word with teachers about homework perhaps?

Saw this, thought of you, OP.

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/oct/04/we-need-stop-pushing-our-kids-parents?CMP=share_btn_fb

wow just wow.

You are in the school, the head can't get rid of you.

Stop grovelling and start saying no.

Research has shown again and again that the only homework that makes a difference to primary age children is reading and times tables. (these are really important, and do need doing)

I would just say to them, he is 5. It is incredibly important for his social and imaginative development that he has enough time to play. He needs down time and time to play and time to kick a ball around in the garden etc etc.
Check that they are not keeping him in at playtime to do homework.

I would do this:

One homework thing per day - either reading OR phonics game (which is a form of reading).

BTW, her comments about your dd are, I think pretty much illegal

(PS, my 3 have gone through school and we have been homework refusers. Ds and dd1 both got in to super selective grammars)

BTW - you don't need this amount of homework to be a good school.

Our school is ofsted outstanding, it is a teacher lead school (I think that is the phrase) which means it is used as an example for other schools.

We are in a very mixed area, half disadvantaged kids, with a higher than normal % of kids with FSM.

Our results are excellent, and we were rated in the top 200 primaries in the country.

Now, I am not saying all that to boast, but because my kids, currently in years 3 and 6, do not get all this homework.

They get:
reading (daily preferably)
spellings 8 words per week (must be practised 3 times minimum)
times tables - (must be practised 3 times per week min)

and then for each half term a project, eg design a gadget for the International Space station, present you design as either a model, or drawing, or power point etc.

In reception dd2 had phonics letters to practise and then reading books.

dd2 - year 6, has just started getting some extra due to sats, so some grammar practise, but she is 11!

I would just do as much as you feel comfortable with. You've been given lots of resources and that's great - so perhaps use what you've been given to focus on reading one week and writing the next? Or mix and match a bit of both. If you feel he's done enough then stop! I give my Year 1 class about 15-20 minutes per week because I feel they do a lot at school. They also have resources for daily reading/phonics which is done at the rate the parents can manage.

You are in the school, the head can't get rid of you.

Stop grovelling and start saying no.

sorry - what I meant by this is - there is nothing the teacher or head can do if you just stop doing the homework. Stop doing it, and relax.

That's awful. DD went to an outstanding infant school and they had no homework whatsoever beyond reading - minimum of1 book a week. The HT didn't believe in giving homework as they were too young.

DS is at a different infant school as he didn't get into the Outastanding one as it was over subscribed. In reception he got homework once a week plus reading. We never did the homework unless he wanted to as a) he was too tired and I want him to enjoy school, b) legally homework isn't compulsory at that age .

Both of my DC's are high achievers academically.

Your school sounds horrid OP. Good ofsted doesn't make a good nurturing environment for your child, which at reception age it should be.
Go and read the foundation state govt curriculum expectations and see if you are happy with your child being pushed so much more.

can I also say that his day in reception should be play based. There should be lots of evidence of sand and water play, outdoor play area, paint, lego, construction, imaginative play area, dressing up.

If none of that is evidence in the classroom, they are not following the early years curriculum.

legally homework isn't compulsory at that age

I don't believe it's ever compulsory!