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

[Geekmama]

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?

[sonlypuppyfat]

I've never made my children do homework at that age, it's ridiculous

[CigarsofthePharoahs]

My son is yr1.
The school actually has a policy of no proper homework for the infant school aged children.
He has one reading book a week that comes home and they'd prefer it if he read it every day, but its not insisted upon.
He's too knackered for anything more. If I was having to negotiate after school clubs etc then I wouldn't be bothering at all.
Its ironic really, I was warned off this particular school as apparently they're 'hard' on the children and hothouse them.
Nope. Learning well though!

[hiveofactivity]

Schools that have spared a thought for working parents or less educationally able parents or parents who speak little English (schools basically that are interested in helping ALL children) do it a bit differently, whilst still setting a reasonable level of homework.

Weekly spelling tests or homework that has to be handed in runs from Weds to Weds instead of Mon to Friday.

Other homework is done on a '4 per term' sort of basis giving parents flexibility.

The only daily 'homework' is reading.

After school homework club as well as reading and maths clubs.

More and more of children's learning and understanding happens at home as the inevitable consequence of increased government demands on schools and large class sizes.

Teachers simply don't have the time or resources to ensure all kids understand what they need to during the course of school hours.
So it falls to parents. Which inevitably means some kids are disadvantaged.

Dd's school is pretty good at recognising not everyone is in the same boat and tries to help instead of blaming parents.

[Giddyaunt18]

I work in year 1. Our spellings and reading have to be learnt over the week. Spellings run Friday to Friday, when they are tested. We don't insist the children read every night to a parent, how could we? Several times a week to an adult is good enough, it only takes 5/10 mins at that age. Can you not hear your child read at bedtime? The spellings can be read and practised in the car, whilst waiting for dinner. Again it's only 10 mins here and there. Do they watch TV for more than 10 mins a day?

[skyzumarubble]

My year 1 DTs get 12 spellings a week tested on Fridays, three reading books - used to be five but now they are longer only three and some sporadic maths worksheets. They're also bringing home phonics screening practice at the minute.

[MarklahMarklah]

That's quite a lot!
DD brings home 4 books a week from school and we read them through the week (to be honest, they're boring and she is due to go up a level soon to something more challenging). We get weekly spellings (10 words) which are tested after a week. We get termly homework projects with suggestions of things to do on which cover literacy, research skills, comprehension and phonics, as well as a maths exercise. There are a required number of pieces to be handed in at the end of term, and thinking around the brief is encouraged - so they could make a model of something, or go on a visit somewhere (and write it up).
This is do-able, though sometimes DD complains when I ask her to write stuff down rather than type it on the PC.

[CountryCaterpillar]

Oops Doris. And threads moved on....

[CountryCaterpillar]

I want to move to your school does.

[Doristhedodo]

As a yr 1 teacher, that is a lot, bearing in mind some children are still only 5. We aim for reading the school book 3 x a week with an adult. Obviously some children will read/be read to every night, but not all will.
Nor do we have spelling lists in yr 1. A few spellings are picked out of the child's writing, which they will work on in class and are specific to them. No formal maths homework, but something in the form of a short game or activity. Over the holidays, homework always takes the form of challenges such as climb a tree, make a den, go out in the rain and jump in puddles.

[fc301]

Check the published homework policy on the school website. If they've exceeded their own guidelines you can point this out. I did. I wrote to the Chair of Govs.
Ultimately you are the parent, you must decide what's in the best interest of your child, which includes the importance of balance and downtime.
In primary it's very unlikely any action would be taken if you didn't do it.
I called a halt when it was affecting my DDs confidence, enjoyment and engagement with school.

[Cleanermaidcook]

oh yes and the list of additional words they need to learn throughout the year.

[Cleanermaidcook]

ds is in yr2 now but last year had similar. Expected to read every day for a short time, 10x spellings a week to learn (we do them in the morning) maths homework online once a week and a termtime topic project.

[NeverTwerkNaked]

My son is meant to read 3xweek (we usually manage 5) and then gets additional homework once every two weeks (which is set at 3 different levels so they can choose). It's not a lot, and he actually makes me set him extra sums etc, but it seems a sensible balance, they are so tiny still.

[TheRealPooTroll]

Too much imo. Aside from reading any HW was optional at that age for mine. We'd get a sheet with what they have been learning about and ideas of things we could do at home if we had time.

[AppleAndBlackberry]

Mine only gets reading and spellings​ and we only really do spellings at the weekend. It's enough tbh, I wouldn't be keen to do much more.

[Spoog1971xx]

I don't allow homework during the week for my littles. It's bloody ridiculous. No one has ever commented. We make sure he's don't everything at the weekend when they're not shattered

[Muddlingalongalone]

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

[Fruitcorner123]

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.

[Piratefairy78]

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.

[Alexandra87]

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

[Allyg1185]

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 )

[TittyGolightly]

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.)

[notangelinajolie]

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?

[WindyWednesday]

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.

[LucyFuckingPevensie]

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.