Why do primary age kids have homework?

[letsmargaritatime]

Is it because parents expect it? Is it needed because the school hours are not long enough for all the learning to be done? Is it necessary to cement what has been learned in the classroom? Is it extra pressure on teachers because of SATS?

When I was in primary school (80s) it was literally just reading and times tables, which I get, these things underpin all their other learning. But my dc get weekly homework and always hated doing it, and I hated forcing them. Sometimes the tasks themselves seem pointless, and I always rolled my eyes at the model making tasks where kids would be lavished with praise or get extra golden time for something clearly constructed by their parents. I remember hearing one mother tell her child that she would carry the model Tudor house into the classroom as "I'm not risking you dropping it and ruining it"

Why the increase? Or was I unusual in not having homework in primary school? In fact maybe I'm unusual in saying I'd be perfectly happy if my dc had no homework at all until
senior school!

[MuchBenham]

Enforced homework and arguments about it are not how I want to spend my precious family time while my son is little. We read together for pleasure, books that he has/we have chosen. I don't need school to tell me how to do that thank you. As mentioned above, there's evidence that homework at secondary school age is beneficial. At that point I'll be more prepared to suck it up. At the moment, it's pointless.

[Sogrowjo]

I dislike homework a lot. I wish it was banned in our school.

My dc all learn instruments to a high level, so practice daily. This, on top of homework becomes a stress for all of us.

I have one dc in secondary school, one in y6 and one in y2.
Y6 homework has been daily reading, spellings, spag, English, arithmetic, online homework & preparation work for end of the week writing task. This adds up to a lot of homework each night, on top of music practice and other activities. I've discussed it with the teacher and agreed to get spag and arithmetic done and we'll ignore the rest.

We do not do the half termly projects either. I feel we already do a lot of extra-curricular activities and cannot give more time to extra school work.

[Hulababy]

Only useful homework for young primary children, imo, is reading practise. I see the benefiting this. Learning spellings has very little, if any, usefulness in terms of learning to spell long term. A lot of research and topic homework is done by parents.

[LittleLionMansMummy]

Isn't educating and developinh your child part of being a family? Reading is a nice activity to do together.

My family consists of 4 people, with a 6 year age gap between children (youngest is 10 months). Family time for us means doing things, usually fun things, together. Today however was spent with one of us doing homework tasks with the eldest and the other trying to keep the youngest entertained, in between preparing meals etc. How is that 'family time'?

As for reading, it is a nice activity if you have a child who enjoys reading. It is absolutely torturous if you have one who finds it extremely frustrating and difficult to focus. Our bedtime reading (I.e. dh or I read to ds) is absolutely lovely, special time. Sitting down and forcing him to read 3 fecking Biff and Chip books a week when he's tired from school and we're tired from work is most definitely not enjoyable.

Of course helping to develop your children is part of family time. We have so many valuable experiences together that have definitely developed us all. But rigid, formal, programmed tasks that become a chore you have to fit into your day is not how you develop children effectively.

[JassyRadlett]

Do you stop having 'family life' when your child is at high school / college with shit tons of homework?

I haven't reached that point yet but I've been given to underhand that by high school, the bedtime routine doesn't start at 7pm.

And there's evidence that it is actually beneficial for them, I believe.

DS1 is six. Four days a week we get home at 6. We've always done reading (we've had to drop one of our three bedtime stories to make time for his school reading, but that seems to be working well). He's a maths nut and happy to do times tables and number bonds on the walk to/from school. We now spend 30 minutes on Saturday morning doing random themed craft projects homework. Which is a chore, but we get it done. I'm not exactly seeing the educational extension or consolidation from 'make a mask or puppet that is linked to the sea' but whatever. We get it done, he gets a sticker, the world keeps turning.

If the school shifted its policy from weekly to daily homework, I would not be supportive, and would be focused on the bare minimum to avoid sanctions for DS.

[Leeds2]

I really don't understand why those parents who object to homework/whose DC don't have time to do it don't opt out and not do it. Research seems to show that primary school homework doesn't give a learning advantage, so just say no.
My child is now at uni, so I am a bit out of it, but I always found the maths homework useful so that she could consolidate what she was doing at school. I think/hope it helped her.

[toffee1000]

Unfortunately the schools may well dish out punishments for not doing it Leeds2 so there's that.

[JassyRadlett]

I really don't understand why those parents who object to homework/whose DC don't have time to do it don't opt out and not do it.

Because he would be kept in and lose playtime.

[Openup41]

I attended primary school on the 1980's and did not receive homework. I did not even own a book bag.

I am pleased my dd receives homework which does not take too much of her time. It brings discipline and routine which they will require in order to excel in secondary school.

[sharksDen]

Pain in the arse trying to force aspie kids to do it.

Oh, is it.

Tell me, are teachers allowed to quote this when parents are complaining that schools are failing AEN children or is this simply a way of washing your hands of the harder bits?

[SweetCrustPastry]

The only evidence I've seen of a link between homework and academic success is from Finland - they've banned it because they recognised the value of play. Their academic achievement has increased substantially.

[RicStar]

No homework at my DC primary school. I am so glad I know it would be a total battle getting anything out of DD. (We do read together daily).

[RoseGoldEagle]

I really really don't like that kids are kept in for their parents not engaging. Especially as it's often the kids who could really do with running around so they're ready for the afternoon.

I completely agree with this. If kids don't bring completed homework in at primary age then clearly that's down to their parents. The policy in some schools is to stop them playing at lunch, not letting them chill out a bit and run around and generally let off steam before the afternoon? So the child is denied that down time, time outdoors, exercise- which IS so well documented to be beneficial, in favour of completing homework tasks. Some school policies seem so badly thought through and not child focused at all.

[horriblehistorieswench]

I think you have to look at it as developing good habits early. All through Primary my DD1 got maybe 30mins per week plus reading, occasionally a model to build, class talk to prepare. Yes sometimes she had to be cajoled at first. She had one teacher who would give an extra optional task, which she would always do because in her own words "the teacher wants to know who's bothered and she will help us more. Anyway fast forward to High School where the work really piles on. I can honestly say I've never had to nag her to do homework or study, & she got straight A's in her Nat 5s plus an additional Nat 5 in a scheme promoting STEM subjects (apologies for that non-stealth boast but it's just to illustrate my point)

[MissWilmottsGhost]

Homework is something that gives me the rage since my own school days, long before having a child of my own.

All it measures is the ability of the parents, not the ability of the child. It is hugely unfair to those children whose parents are crap (like mine were), or work long hours, or have other caring commitments (other children or adults).

As pp said, the children who most need parental engagement are often the ones who won't get it. It is so unfair to the child, who will then get bad marks and have their confidence knocked further.

Grr

[MissWilmottsGhost]

It is my only hope horrible that teachers actually use homework to detect those children who lack parental support, so they can give more support at school.

[Pilgit]

I hate it! We're a household where both parents work full time so finding time during the week is hard - they get home 6.30pm. Need feeding. Need sleep. So homework gets done at bedtime! Reading - we've always done that. The weekly comprehension and maths is a bit trickier then finding time for the idiotic topic project..... hate it!

[MissWilmottsGhost]

Oh, on re reading horrible you mean the teacher will give more help to the children who have bothered to do the work.

See that is the problem. The child who does not do the homework because of a chaotic home life is then further penalised at school

[SureIusedtobetaller]

I don't know any teachers who think that homework in primary is necessary or useful. It's a pain to set, a pain to get in and mark, and just marks out the children who get no help at home.
The government expectation is that we set it so we do.
Reading has value - children who read/are read to at home tend to do better (in my experience) so it would be better to focus on just that I think.

[midsummabreak]

Its for the benefit of the parents, to make them feel their child is being sufficiently drilled and trained, yet it is a fallacy that they are more advanced. When research shows that homework is of no benefit for primary school children and yet schools feel compelled to deliver it, it is down to parents to stop the madness. Kids who have adequate play time, and a rich variety of play activities, are more ready & motivated to learn, and will not tire so quickly of their learning at school, but will instead enjoy learning. Let the children play! 😀
And SharksDen i am so greatful for teachers such as you. It can be a PITA for teachers who support my teen with special needs , & wouldnt blame them from expressing frustration ,between myself and them, at his blank refusal to complete so many tasks. We joke about these challenges & focus on his strengths, but of course it is frustrating.

[Bubblysqueak]

I think it's become the expected norm. In my last school the new head teacher scrapped homework in the holidays and said she wanted the children to relax and have fun. There was such a huge outcry from the parents we ended up having to set some meaningless guff just to keep them happy.

[Wheelycote]

To get them into the habit and routine of homework. It becomes the norm. Then when they're older and get the serious homework....they're already used to building it into their days

[Wheelycote]

Not that I agree with it.

[GetAHaircutCarl]

People always trot out the reasearch shows primary HW is useless line, without really looking at the research.

What it shows is that the type of HW generally given by state schools in primary has little affect upon English and maths as measured by SATS.

To conclude that no HW has any impact on any subject, is quite a jump.

[MuchBenham]

It has little effect on attainment in English and maths? Well tbh I would extrapolate from that that it doesn't have much impact in other areas either. I guess they didn't bother looking into whether primary HW is beneficial for a kid's long term craft project skills