To be fed up about 3 children doing holiday homework and it's not been asked for

[user1471507155]

I have 3 dc twin boys aged 11 and dd aged 8. The boys started secondary school on Wednesday they had been set a summer reading challenge by new school to be handed in after holidays they completed it and it has not been asked for
They are in different forms so it's not just 1 teacher's issue. My daughter was also given a book to make/write by her school it is a junior school and it was for everyone to do again never mentioned. None of my kids are willing readers ( not through trying I still read with them all at bedtime)so it has been a real effort to get them to complete the tasks. I'm wondering if I should get in touch with both schools or just put it down to experience. I've already had a run in with said junior school about homework so think I might be wasting my time.

You're not being unreasonable to want someone to collect it in, but you are being unreasonable not to appreciate quite how much there is to do in the first week back - holiday homework will be the last thing on your kids' new teachers' minds unfortunately.

I think holiday homework is one of those things that is given for the benefit to the pupil of having done the activity rather than anything else. I wouldn't expect it to be collected in. It probably has even more value to a reluctant reader.

YANBU my DS did 4 pieces of homework, one of which was 400 maths questions!! Hasn't been asked for any of it.

Gritty: How long has he been back at school? Teachers will be dealing with new exercise books, assessments, training meetings, fire drill, assemblies, uniform, lost kids, bags, SEND requirements, keys to rooms, new staff, computer passwords, seating plans, learning names, duties etc. It is reasonable to expect the work to be collected, but give them time FGS.

No, Maria. Our INSED day was wholly taken up by safeguarding, training in our new marking and feedback policies, behaviour policies, curriculum mapping, sit downs with the team to discuss setting etc. There are literally hundreds of things to do during week one of a new term.

Fuck off, Maria. I have started work at 7am every day this week. I worked for quite a lot of time over the holidays. You literally have no idea what you are talking about.

We had this issue when DS went into Y6. I spoke to the teacher and apparently because she didn't set the work (mental arithmetic workbooks) she wouldn't mark it. She was knew to the school and it was the Y5 teacher that set it.

My response was give it to me and I'll mark them as it's not fair as they've done the work.

However, over this summer I pestered DD15 to get her Art and English done. She was behind in Art due to a hospital stay but there was other work set. Hardly anyone in her class did it For English she had to do a scrap book of her reading. Again, hardly anyone did it
And no consequences for those that didn't. Harrumph!

Maria you'll find the ONE in service day teachers had in Scotland was filled with Child Protection refresher training, Data Protection online training, Fire Procedures refresher training, going over LA timetables with teachers as well as numerous other agenda items regarding the curriculum. I second trife fuck off.

And no consequences for those that didn't. Harrumph

Just because the school doesn't have a sanction doesn't mean there are no consequences. If those that did it get a better mark in GCSE eventually due to having kept their braincells active over the summer break, and those who didn't do it get a worse mark in GCSE eventually due to having atrophied their braincells with a pokemon go overdose - well that will be a consequence.

This kind of homework is really for the child to keep them doing something over the holiday, especially something like a reading challenge. It isn't something that teacher is likely to want to assess and chase up. Many kids won't have done it and the teachers will not want to start a new term forcing a long reading project on a reluctant reader who might not have the support or the time to do it now.

In answer to the whole what do teachers do during the summer? The answer is whatever they want as they are not paid for the summer break.