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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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:
Oliversmumsarmy · 13/05/2018 17:55

CalF123 but not all children get home at 4pm and 8pm is awfully late to go to bed. Add in swimming lessons, a dance lesson or 3, music lessons and sports a 6.30pm bath time to be in bed by 7pm and you can see how there isn't 15 minutes spare.

And the 15 minutes is the time allocated for those that have some idea how to do the work.

It could take me 15 minutes to ascertain what was supposed to be done and 15 minutes for ds to write one word.

I supposed if you really are into schooling and you don't work and your children don't have any activities and don't have any SENs and go to bed late then it might seem like nothing.

Pengggwn · 13/05/2018 17:59

Oliversmumsarmy

I totally sympathise with parents who struggle with 15 minutes because they don't have it for reasons like work. That's understandable. But filling the evening up with optional activities and then saying you don't have time for 15 minutes of anything else doesn't convince me, to be honest. Swimming, dancing, sports - all lovely. But to put them before learning is a decision you are making, so it isn't really the case that you 'don't have 15 minutes', is it?

Carriecakes80 · 13/05/2018 18:04

Thank God I took my kids out when I did. Childhood is about them learning through fun and play, you get one life, and so little time to be carefree and enjoy it. And before I'm accused of hippy shite, thats bollocks. My eldest is off to University, happy, working hard, and has been since age 16. Not because of ten tons of home work, but because we let him be a kid first, he was quite happy as he got older to work. Now my 16 yr old is volunteering at a charity shop, working as a cleaner (at his old school lol) and going to college, but he enjoys it.
These days way too much is shoved at kids way too early...
And they wonder why depression is so rife among teens....majority of Schools these days have really got it so wrong.

Oliversmumsarmy · 13/05/2018 18:28

Swimming, dancing, sports

My dc were never going to be academic. I knew they would struggle with GCSEs, let alone A levels or university.

DD is making a great career out of her extra curricular activities.

Not doing the activities so that she could complete homework in primary which ultimately meant nothing would have really impacted her life.

Pengggwn · 13/05/2018 18:32

Oliversmumsarmy

But still, it's a choice. From my perspective, a child who struggles with the basics needs to spend at least some of their time on them at home, and I wouldn't agree at all that those activities would have meant nothing. However, that's your call. What I am saying is, if I were the teacher, I wouldn't be accepting 'activities' as the reason homework wasn't done.

Audree · 13/05/2018 19:10

Swimming, dancing, sports have benefits.

Homework has none.

And it has nothing to do with learning.

Pengggwn · 13/05/2018 19:12

Audree

Well, I haven't seen evidence that homework has no benefit, so until someone furnishes me with it, that's not a given for me.

Audree · 13/05/2018 19:41

Try google.

I offered the title of a book in one of my previous posts. It has an extensive bibliography and quotes several studies.

For some basic, easy to follow explanations, you can try YouTube.

Pengggwn · 13/05/2018 19:43

Audree

I've asked for evidence online, not book titles - haven't got that sort of resource to hand for the sake of a discussion forum. I could sit here searching on Google for evidence of what other people are telling me is undisputed fact, but I sort of think that's the job of the people asserting it.

Barbie222 · 13/05/2018 19:54

Penggwyn is right, though, as parents we choose the activities that suit us and our mindset. For example, DH and I watch no football. We aren't interested in the game and it has never occurred to me to sign any of my children up for a team. They have never shown any interest in playing and if consider getting to matches to be a massive imposition on my working day and family time at the weekend. So beyond the bit they do at school that's that really. And we're all the same - we could make a case for being neglectful about not getting our children to do all sorts of activities, but in the end it largely boils down to how much you're prepared to put yourself out to do something for long term gain.

Lots of posters here have put homework in the same box that I put football in - because it's now an unfashionable view mainly held by teachers that homework is worth doing.

I'll admit that I grit my teeth at being asked to construct an Anglo Saxon house, or make anything with cardboard and paint, but it will take a lot more evidence than I've seen here so far to make me think that there isn't much point in extra practice of basic maths and literacy skills for children who are behind. In fact, one of the studies just said that homework widened the gap - between children who are supported with it and children who aren't!

Pengggwn · 13/05/2018 19:59

In fact, one of the studies just said that homework widened the gap - between children who are supported with it and children who aren't!

Said better than I could have said it. I haven't seen the study, but this is my instinctive position. What we are seeing here is people who don't want to spend time on homework, arguing that homework doesn't work.

Barbie222 · 13/05/2018 20:05

You can't square the idea that homework isn't useful with the masses of evidence that little and often practice of key skills help children to progress. Otherwise, we might as well all do away with any kind of intervention or support. I'm not saying there's nothing in the studies, but I think sometimes it suits the parent not to complete homework and they're not going to look too closely at what the studies actually say.

Barbie222 · 13/05/2018 20:09

To be fair most posters have made an exception for reading, even though presumably that's also awkward and difficult to do with a child who struggles or who does not enjoy reading. So if persevering works with reading, why shouldn't it work for times tables or other basic skills?

Audree · 13/05/2018 20:13

Agree with you Barbie, parents are the ones who should decide how to spend their family time; for some, football is important, others prefer extracurriculars, and others will choose homework.
I’ve read the reasearch, discussed with my kids’ teachers and I’ve been a teacher for 15 years myself, so I have my answer.
What I would argue though is that teachers believe homework is worth doing. Many understand it’s not - some of them commented on this thread.

Barbie222 · 13/05/2018 20:19

Yes Audree, I think at bottom it will come down to a definition of exactly what "homework" means to different people. I've no problem saying that lots of homework is completely useless and some is badly matched to the child's needs. I'm just reluctant to take up a blanket "homework is bad" statement, going by my experience of teaching for a similar number of years to you, and seeing the cases where it's helped narrow a gap.

ICantCopeAnymore · 13/05/2018 20:28

I don't set homework other than reading for my Year 2s because I fought the school by showing them extensive research and won. However if parents ever ask me about homework, I tell them to read with their children, TALK to their children (because it's bloody surprising how many parents don't) and DO THINGS with their children like go for a walk and point things out, cook together, count money, tell the time, visit a museum etc. All of these things are actually beneficial to a child, not a shitty worksheet.

Audree · 13/05/2018 20:32

Glad to see you are open to nuancing the term. My experience is that homework is useless and even harmful for young kids.
Both my kids participated in local and national competitions, so obviously we did extra practice at home occasionally. I’m against regular, mandatory, blanket homework for the whole class.

CalF123 · 13/05/2018 21:06

parents are the ones who should decide how to spend their family time

Nope- parents are not qualified education professionals, and most haven't the faintest idea how to support their DC's education, as shown in this thread.

Teachers know how to set homework that will support children's learning- it's parents' responsibility to ensure it's done.

Misshannahb · 13/05/2018 21:08

The outrage is ridiculous on this thread. Whilst I don't neccessary believe in homework punishments for year 2 I always keep my yr 6s in

I also never let children go to the toilet during lessons

Surely no problem at this age? They should be responsible.

nolongersurprised · 14/05/2018 00:38

If a child is already struggling at 6 or 7 years surely there should be some targeted assistance for the 6 hours a day they are at school? Rather than focusing on the 15 minutes they may or may not be doing after school.

I have 3 primary aged DC, they do their homework but, with the exception of reading, it’s mainly just a chore and “busy work”. They do it, because I am generally rule-abiding and they are academically capable so the mental burden is low but they are certainly not smart because of homework: most of it seems pointless.

I’m surprised (user name notwithstanding) that teachers seem to be promoting homework rather than sport for young children after school, given the benefits of exercise on focus, mental health and sleep. My oldest two have always done extremely well at school and also swim 5-6 hours a week. Their various enrichment teachers encourage sports.

Oliversmumsarmy · 14/05/2018 02:52

Teachers know how to set homework that will support children's learning- it's parents' responsibility to ensure it's done

I don't know if you are in the uk but teachers set homework from the curriculum regardless of whether a child can actually do it

It is a one size fits all policy.

If a child is already struggling at 6 or 7 years surely there should be some targeted assistance for the 6 hours a day they are at school

Apart from a umms and aahs ds and dd might be Dyslexic and being taken out of class to read a few pages there really isn't anything

ThisIsTheFirstStep · 14/05/2018 03:05

Teachers know how to set homework that will support children's learning- it's parents' responsibility to ensure it's done

Come off it. 99% of the time, it's bunging whatever worksheet they could find on the internet that basically fits in with what they've been learning.

We all know teachers have zero time to plan the actual lessons properly, let alone fannying about with homework too.

Pengggwn · 14/05/2018 06:05

Come off it. 99% of the time, it's bunging whatever worksheet they could find on the internet that basically fits in with what they've been learning.

What sort of stuff does the worksheet have on it? Comprehension activities? Vocabulary exercises? Questions about what they think?

Can't see anything wrong with that.

Pengggwn · 14/05/2018 06:07

I agree with PP that it would be wonderful to have targeted support available in school time for every child who struggled, but then I think it would be wonderful for all children to have a personal tutor. I'm not going to see that happen - school resources aren't just finite, they are at breaking point. Saying 'oh but wouldn't it be better if...' so you don't have to do your 15 minutes a day at home is just not helpful.

Believeitornot · 14/05/2018 06:19

Can't see anything wrong with that

Plenty wrong if you don’t know how your dc has been taught and if your dc hasn’t got the hang of something yet.

Eg my 8 year old came home with maths. He couldn’t remember a method referred to on the sheet nor did I know what it was. I had my own ideas as to how but we’ve been told not to do that as it confuses the dcs.

So we didn’t do it.

Therefore the homework was pointless.