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AIBU?

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Original poster

AIBU to think this is to much homework for year 1?

41 replies

Geekmama · 08/05/2017 19:17

My DS has to read his Reading book every night, spellings every night, with additional words to practice reading over the week. He also has English or maths homework to be done over the weekend.
I'm in two mines, as we have a really tight schedule my DS is at breakfast club for 7:30 and doesn't get picked up from after-school club until 5:30 his bedtime is at 7:00 so we don't have a lot of time in the evening's. We do try to facilitate all of this and we were in a very good routine until the spelling book came home.
On the other hand, it's good for him to Re-Cap on his days learning but he has additional needs and he need a bit of downtime.
Is this too much? AIBU To speak to his teacher?

OP posts:
PeaFaceMcgee · 08/05/2017 19:22

He should do his homework in after school club

PeaFaceMcgee · 08/05/2017 19:22

But do speak to the teacher too

bigchris · 08/05/2017 19:23

At our after school club none of the kids do homework , it's all playing and eating , especially outside this time of year, the staff wouldn't supervise homework and at that age they're hardly going to sit down alone and do it !

Original poster
Geekmama · 08/05/2017 19:26

PeaFace his after-school club is actually in a different school and they don't offer that.

OP posts:
Trifleorbust · 08/05/2017 19:26

Why isn't it done in after school club? That would make sense.

ShoppingBasket · 08/05/2017 19:27

In Ireland, 4 spellings, 4 sentences. 2 pages reading, sums/grammar and tables, monday to thursday.

gamerwidow · 08/05/2017 19:27

It is a usual amount for a yr1 child but homework at this age imo should be treated as optional and if it causes a lot of upset trying to do it then don't.
We struggled with Dd in yr 1 because she was with the childminded from 730am to 630pm and she was too tired to do her reading and spelling by the time she got in which led to arguments and tears. So most nights we just didn't do it.
This year she has been much more able to cope and does do her homework every night.

Broccolirevolution · 08/05/2017 19:29

In Y1 we had similar homework. I would test my DS on the spelling words in the car. He only had to memorisend them and then do a test on the Friday so it didn't matter that he wasn't reading or writing them during the week, only saying the spellings out loud. I used to do the reading book tucked up in bed as a bedtime story and then I would read something else afterwards. Would doing it that way help?

Coffeeisnecessary · 08/05/2017 19:29

I think it's too much. I have a ds in year 1, he is supposed to read every night, maths/spellings over the weekend and go on an online spelling thing every night too, we never manage to fit it all in and he is exhausted from the day. I think they need downtime to unwind. Luckily so far our school hasn't said anything about him not doing it all!

Trifleorbust · 08/05/2017 19:30

Oh. Well, that does sound a fair amount of homework, but I think the real issue is your lack of time, notthe amount of work.

SenoritaViva · 08/05/2017 19:30

That's more than my year 5 child gets! She has spellings (about 15 per week) and one homework. (Depends on the term as whether structured or choice).
Reception child gets letters and sound prac and daily read.
We are in the U.K., recently been given outstanding by ofsted.

StillNoFuckingEyeDeer · 08/05/2017 19:32

DD1 is in year 1. They have 2 books to read per week (one on Tuesday, one on Thursday) and a page to do in their home learning book per week. The home learning involves writing a sentence and something else like 4 'number sentences' or similar. It takes about 5 minutes.

FallenPetalsSummerDew · 08/05/2017 19:41

We had this problem. We weren't getting in until 630ish every evening and my twins were shattered. We were reading perhaps twice a week and weekends were being used to try and catch up with spellings and maths. Twins struggling to grasp phonics, let alone maths and spellings! The Head Teacher dragged us into his office and told us we didn't care about our kids and they would never get their gcses! They're 5!! Considering I suffer with depression but try and do as much as possible for my children, that really didn't help! I love my children dearly and spent a long time thinking I'd failed them. 2 terms in and it's 'clicked'. They are accustomed to the daily routine and happy to read in the evenings, making progress and things are much more settled. I think in these early years there's such a broad spectrum of development and not all children can handle such an intensive routine straight away. The homework should be tiered to the development level.

Workingmummyto1 · 08/05/2017 19:42

That sounds about right tbh. We had similar last year for year 1. 6 books to read over the week, spellings, tables and a homework task. Agree it is tough with limited time if you are working, but we got by doing a structured 20 mins or so a night. We tended to do more spelling practice etc at the weekend to take pressure of the week nights.

CountryCaterpillar · 08/05/2017 19:44

Crazy stuff :( not much point to homework in primary, especially as young as year 1 where in many countries kids wouldn't be at school. Me eldest didn't have h/w at that stage (nor did I and I did ojay1!) but I think it's been brought in now for when youngest is in year 1 :(

Should just be reading and the odd optional extension activity.

scrivette · 08/05/2017 19:49

Sounds like ours, 6 books a week, homework plus spellings but we at least have a set amount of homework to do over the term rather than must be done weekly.

I think it's too much with after school club, breakfast club etc. By the time I get home from work the last thing either of us wants to do is homework and I think weekends should be for relaxing/playing.

LucyFuckingPevensie · 08/05/2017 19:49

I think it's too much tbh.
My dts are in year 2, they have spellings and times tables / number bond type questions every night in the week, plus a reading book. Then bigger homework over the weekend, even that is quite fun tbh - design and build a castle, find out facts about Vikings etc.

WindyWednesday · 08/05/2017 19:54

We only get given home work at the weekend.

Yr1

Reading 3x a week
Tricky words to learn, read and write.
Maths online
Topic homework.

I don't mind doing it, but it annoys me that it doesn't get marked each week. They tend to mark about once a month. Makes me fail to see the point. By the time it's marked the dc can't remember doing the work.

notangelinajolie · 08/05/2017 19:59

I know it is a long day for him but could he go to bed later? Or can you work different hours so that you are home earlier?

TittyGolightly · 08/05/2017 19:59

My DD is in year 1 and gets a fraction of that. 2 books to read a week. That's it. Everything else done at school. They're interested in the whole child, not forcing them with academics. It's also a Welsh medium school so most of the children are learning a language not spoken in the home throughout the day (via immersion).

I wouldn't be doing that amount of homework with my child, and I'd tell the teacher why. (Starting with all the studies that have shown primary homework to be utterly pointless.)

Allyg1185 · 08/05/2017 20:07

I live in Scotland so slightly different my son is in p1 and is 5 ( 6 in June ) he has a reading book to do over the weekend and 15 spellings which hes to read to me and write out twice ( this usually comes home on a Tuesday and to be back on the Friday )

Alexandra87 · 08/05/2017 20:12

Mine yr 1 & yr 2 have to do spelling and reading every night and then written homework/maths over the weekend. We do spellings and reading while I make dinner

Piratefairy78 · 08/05/2017 20:14

That sounds loads. My Y2 has reading (5 times a week), spellings (differentiated in the class, most have between 4-10) and then homework given on Wednesday to be handed in on Monday. The Y1 in the same class only have the reading and spellings weekly. At the beginning of a new term/topic they may be asked for a picture for the walls.

Fruitcorner123 · 08/05/2017 20:18

My year 1 son doesn't have that much. We are asked to read every night but I give him a couple of nights off (he reads his own books in bed anyway) and has one h/w sheet over the weekend. If he had more than I was happy with I would speak to the school. I think what you've described is too much. Some of those children are just five years old. Totally ridiculous- and I am a teacher by the way.

Muddlingalongalone · 08/05/2017 20:20

Seems like a crazy amount to me - we just have reading, not even specific books/levels just reading anything and recording it in diary.
At the request of parents they did a bucket list of activities including writing/spellings etc but also go for a long walk, record the weather each day, go to a museum, tell a joke type things for spring 1 but it was entirely optional & a homework booklet for spring 2 with a mix of wordsearch/words/maths & the same over Easter. Nothing this term so far apart from a link to previous years phonics tests if we want to practice & a request to keep reading as much as possible

I love it - dd also does asc til 5:15 ish & home just before 6. Agree with pp the car is great for sums and spelling.
I will cross the bridge when I get to it next year but it's likely to involve doing a nit at the weekend if we get time & dd having the option to do it at asc