... to answer the homework questionnaire honestly?

[MrsHathaway]

School has sent home a questionnaire about homework. They will be surveying the children at school.

Questions include "Do you think homework is important?" and "Ideally when would you like homework sent home and returned to school?"

I think primary homework (beyond reading books and maybe spellings/times tables) is at best pointless. At worst I think it risks disengaging children and putting them off school.

I should say so, shouldn't I?

Should I stop short of including copies of the articles that helped me to my conclusion?

I have a very good relationship with the school but this questionnaire is anonymous.

[BlueberrySky]

Our primary school did a survey on homework. We all said what a waste of time we thought it was. They stopped homework for all apart from year 6. Year 6, then only had one piece a week.

Though recently I saw a parent at the same school complaining that she did not like them not getting homework and was thinking of sending her kids to a different school that had more homework but was not considered as good a school. Just so her kids could do more homework and be pushed more. Bonkers!

[Schwabischeweihnachtskanne]

We are abroad. Kids here get tons of homework daily right from the first (OK, maybe the 2nd) day of school (at age 6/7).

The only good thing about it is that by age 8 or so they are wholly self sufficient with home work and the idea of needing to sit with a non SN 9 year old to do homework is utterly alien :o

I am not sure the year or two of torture at the beginning it is worth it, and am not looking forward to enforcing the first year or two with DC3, but do like how home work self sufficient my 8 and 10 year olds are (which is a bloody good job considering the volume they get and the fact its all in German) :o

[kennypppppppp]

our school has homework once a week in juniors and seniors. english and maths. so 2 bits of homework, given out on friday and back in on a tuesday. there's homework club after school (free) and lunchtime homework club in juniors.

[TwentyCupsOfTea]

I genuinley wasn't aware there was homework in primary schools, other than a reading book

[Chattymummyhere]

Our head states the homework is optional (wish he would remind the teachers that when my ds didn't bother to do an extra challenge on his homework).

However I need buy the whole anonymous part of these things ours are all done on parent mail clearly there is a way to find out who sent what back in.

[MrsHathaway]

I hope some of you are parents at the school! Fingers crossed everybody replies along similar lines.

[Cagliostro]

YANBU my friend would agree with you, she's a primary teacher but is forced to set it. She doesn't agree with it. Mind you she gets pressure from both the HT/HOD and some parents. Really seems teachers can't win on this one :(

[Schwabischeweihnachtskanne]

Yes, answer honestly.

Also yes, as acasual says "What's more, expect the findings to be cynically massaged if they do not accord with the headteacher's 'vision'."

When I was teaching I was sent to conferences as part of a fast track programme, along with a senior manager. I was initially excited and motivated by the ideas and pilot projects and studies we heard about at the conferences, all of which seemed to be suggesting steam lining and simplifying and addressing fundamental systemic flaws - until I saw how the senior manager I went along with reported back in staff meetings - we clearly hadn't been at the same conferences because the message she had taken away was always that we should tack extra data gathering and paperwork and the odd bit of box ticking but undefined "mentoring" and lots of after school and holiday booster class onto what we were already doing, but not actually change anything fundamental. This was never remotely what the presentations at the conferences had suggested.

[dillydotty]

We had a survey a couple of weeks ago about uniform. Some of the questions were hmm like, did we think that being affordable was important?

No, we like paying £30 for a monogrammed jumper whenyou could get an identical one save the logo for a tenner!

[dillydotty]

I hate the homework aimed at parents, like expecting a six year old to make a working model of a volcano. Pointless!

[Ginmakesitallok]

We had a survey a couple of weeks ago about uniform. Some of the questions were like, did we think that being affordable was important?

[CalleighDoodle]

I agee with you op and i also think homework should be things the children can do themselves. The five year old who arrived at reception class last christmas with a wooden sleigh complete with dove tail joints clearly did not make that himself. Bloody craft homeworks. Or the recent year one 'research london bridge' and how is a 6 year old going to do this research? Thankfully i have siri to do this homework

[MakeItRain]

We often ask parents for their views on homework and most say we don't send enough, or it's not challenging enough. As a primary teacher I set homework but as a mum I don't insist it gets done.

[acasualobserver]

Schools do like a nice bit of consultation, don't they? Probably because Oftwat like schools to like consultation. What's more, expect the findings to be cynically massaged if they do not accord with the headteacher's 'vision'.

[FlyingElbows]

I would be totally honest and very very clear that homework is bollocks and homework for parents is big sweaty bollocks!!

[Mishaps]

Tell 'em - you are of course right. Sometimes schools set homework because they think the parents expect it. They may be looking for a reason to reduce it and they would be right to do so.

[redskytonight]

If it's like my DC's school they'll only get about 6 answers to their questionnaire, so not remotely statistically useful, but they can then claim they are "gathering parental views".

(my DD is the rare child who loves homework - she's spent about 4 hours this week doing homework that was meant to take 30 minutes because she insisted on expanding the brief. Equally DS hated homework and always did the minimum. so maybe optional homework i s the way to go)

[zoobaby]

I think they're looking to ditch it and have backup for when ofsted gives them grief.

[Brightbluebells]

Or they might genuinely want your views to inform their policy.

[MrsHathaway]

Yes I did think clippings would be a bit pass. agg.

I don't particularly want my responses to be anonymous. I can see that anonymity might improve response rate, but equally I think it could be useful to see if all the anti-homework responses come from the parents of clever children, or naughty children, or sporty children, and all the pro-homework responses from the opposite group.

Also I want them to see that "involved in school" and "keen on homework" aren't necessarily the same group.

I am always slightly suspicious of any survey or questionnaire because there's always a motivation beyond that stated. I find myself wondering whether they're surveying in order to collect support for the status quo or for a change that's already in the pipeline.

[nobilityobliges]

Why on earth would you not answer honestly?