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AIBU?

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Original poster

6 and 7 year olds being kep in at lunch time for forgetting homework

575 replies

DaanSaaf · 08/05/2018 20:55

Year 2 ds just told me they have to stay in at lunch time and do extra work if they haven't brought their homework in.

Aibu to think that's a bit harsh at their age?

OP posts:
ICantCopeAnymore · 09/05/2018 22:29

in that country 7 year olds have at least 2 hours work each evening

How disgusting.

CalF123 · 09/05/2018 22:34

@ICantCopeAnymore

I agree it is disgusting. I just mentioned it as a comparison of the eduction systems around the world the UK is now up against, and how we will have to change some of our approaches to education.

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 09/05/2018 22:40

Their reading diary must be signed a minimum of 5X per week or they miss an end of term treat.

Dreadful.

As for the idea of 7yos having 2hrs homework a night ... words fail me. Children that age should be playing. Reading for pleasure is strongly to be encouraged. A few spellings, a short piece of maths homework once a week I suppose is OK. Nothing more.

ICantCopeAnymore · 09/05/2018 22:40

What country is that, if you don't mind me asking?

We've tried to change in Wales, doesn't work because they've brought back testing. I'm not sure why the educational "experts" can't see what is blindingly obvious.

Mousefunky · 09/05/2018 22:40

I’m a FE English tutor so education is obviously incredibly important to me but do I think homework for primary children is important? No, not at all. Even with my students who are all 16+ I try not to place too much pressure on them and give them ample time to complete assignments. People have a life outside of education and that is important too, we are not machines. I believe homework is one sure way of making children resent education. It isn’t fun and they shouldn’t have to do extra work when they’ve just finished six hours at school.

I say this as someone with three primary aged DC. Sometimes I forget to do their homework but we read every night, do spellings and maths most days and at the weekend we explore. They can and do learn efficiently without homework.

Mousefunky · 09/05/2018 22:42

It is amusing to me that I wrote sometimes I forget to do their homework because I do feel as though homework in KS1 especially is primarily for the parents rather than pupils.

CalF123 · 09/05/2018 23:14

@ICantCopeAnymore

South Korea

GirlInterruptedOftenByKids · 09/05/2018 23:27

Dd in year 1 was kept in for not COMPLETING her five bits of weekly homework. We had words with the school. More words planned tomorrow after aggressive TA told me she hadn't done her worksheet designed "especially for children with bad handwriting". In front of her and her friends! She turned 6 last week :(

CalF123 · 09/05/2018 23:29

@GirlInterruptedOftenByKids

Why hadn't she completed her homework?

GirlInterruptedOftenByKids · 09/05/2018 23:31

Cause she wrote her spellings out once not three times.

GirlInterruptedOftenByKids · 09/05/2018 23:35

For context, she gets twice as much as her brother in year 4 and he doesn't get punished if he skimps. Also she has lovely handwriting and is on the top level for reading (lime I think?). Nuts.

Meanwhile the girls who have been bullying my d s for a year have not lost a single lunchtime over it. Shows you where the priorities lie. ....

madamginger · 09/05/2018 23:38

I don’t make any of my primary aged children do homework. It has zero benefits and I’ve made myself very clear to school about it.
Last year my FIL was dying of a very aggressive cancer and we spent a lot of time with him, saying goodbye and making memories with the children, one of my DC had an NQT and she kept him in one lunch for not doing his homework (he was 6) and I made a formal complaint to the head and the governors. It was my decision not to do homework and prioritise our evenings and weekends with family and I expect school to respect that.

loopylass13 · 09/05/2018 23:43

I thought primary school Home Work was not legally enforceable??? Have you ever signed a Home/School agreement that said what the penalties would be if Home Work was not done? If signed, could you open up negotiations about this specific topic? Personally I would see home work as getting in the way of family time so would refuse to do it. But if you have agreed to it then harder to rebuff the punishment aspect of it. Maybe talk to teacher??

Oliversmumsarmy · 09/05/2018 23:46

I don't think it's harsh at all. At that age, they should know themselves they need to do homework without parents reminding. I also don't think homework for 7 year olds is a bad thing- it gets them into the habit of independent study and the mindset that their education is important

Completely turned ds off. In the end I ended up H.E.

Oliversmumsarmy · 09/05/2018 23:48

But South Korea don't start school until age 6 not age 4.

Also do we want to go down that route.

CalF123 · 09/05/2018 23:51

@Oliversmumsarmy

Obviously we shouldn't copy the whole Korean system but I do think there are some lessons to be learned from it to do with the importance placed on education and also that hard work is necessary sometimes. South Korea also has very little inequality in the education system.

Beeziekn33ze · 09/05/2018 23:53

Loopy - I was thinking that homework can't be insisted upon.
Some years ago a mum was saying that the family couldn't commit to much at weekends due to her son's homework. He was 5!

BananasAreTheSourceOfEvil · 09/05/2018 23:53

I don't have a problem with my kids doing homework. I haven't read the research that PP's are referring to but would be interested in doing so if anyone would mind providing a link?

Where I live, my kids have had homework since starting school at 4. I did when I was young so I never thought anything of it. We do homework immediately when they get home from school- I let them do it for themselves first (as I believe the purpose of homework is to display what they have learned independently of the classroom) then if there is something I can see they don't understand at all, we work through it together.

Maybe I'm wrong but I think it's a good method of teaching children self-discipline when it comes to studying.

I do not however, think that keeping kids in over lunch break because of forgotten homework is acceptable. Kids will be kids and mine will forget their lunch, their PE gear etc...

Oliversmumsarmy · 09/05/2018 23:54

I want to know how you are supposed to do homework if you can't read and write.

Neither DD or ds could read or write at age 6. With ds reading finally clicked at age 12.

Fruitcorner123 · 09/05/2018 23:56

GirlInterruptedOftenByKids that's awful. 5 homeworks a week!! Your poor little girl. I think in your situation I would refuse to do it. Hope your meeting goes well

PinkAvocado · 09/05/2018 23:59

I hate homework and all these ridiculous rules and consequences that are linked to it. As pp have said, there is nothing to suggest that homework like this is beneficial and why would anyone think it is the only or best way to learn self-discipline? It is utter nonsense and most teachers would agree I am sure.

BananasAreTheSourceOfEvil · 10/05/2018 00:03

At 4 they would have colouring, tracing letters and phonics homework. It was more to keep practising using pencils etc and reiterate class lessons with sounds to help their reading.

They always have had homework four times a week though.

I grew up with homework and weekend homework from primary school onward- I never even knew that it was something that could be opted out of! Is this a new policy? (genuinely curious)

Myotherusernameisbest · 10/05/2018 00:11

I don't agree with it at that age either. Yes to a bit of reading each evening and to learning some spellings but that's it.

At that age if they forget it is very much down to parents and I hate when schools punish kids for things largely out of their control.

Agree though with missing playtime if they were messing about in class and not getting on with it there.

stopgap · 10/05/2018 01:58

My son is in first grade in the US (so 6 turning 7) and the only homework he has is reading—a nightly short chapter book he reads to me, and a longer chapter book I read to him over the week. That’s it. I don’t think children get homework in our school until 4th grade, and even then it’s not very much.

I don’t remember homework at all in my primary school, although admittedly that was during the 1980s.

Oliversmumsarmy · 10/05/2018 02:08

I was at primary school in the 60s. The only homework we got was a times table each week for as long as it took to recite them each week to the teacher. If you didn't know your 2 times table you had to go back each week till you did. Only then would you move on up to the 3x etc and in the last year of school we had spelling tests.

I don't recall that anyone was considered too dumb or too disorganised and I don't think having no homework in primary impacted on anyone's life. Those that wanted to go to university did so.
I know at least one boy who went on to head up a team of scientists looking at genetics/dna type research.