Fucking Primary School homework.

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Ds2 is 8, yr 3. His teacher is new this term, I’m not sure if he’s an nqt or just new to the school but he’s a keen bean.

DS is expected to do homework every evening. He needs to read for twenty minutes to an adult, do his fifteen spelling words and do twenty minutes of maths. So an hour an evening. There are also two spelling projects to complete every week, ie write them with your left hand, recite them on a tape recorder (?!), write them in squiggly letters.

I think it’s complete overkill. Not to mention we just don’t have the time. We both work FT so he’s in wraparound care most days, he also does Beavers and swimming, I have one child in college and one doing GCSEs so they also need support and it’s just all too much. I don’t want to spend what precious little downtime we all have doing (IMO) unnecessary homework. We do read together and do his spellings and maths but not every single night.

I’ve been collared this morning again to query why he hasn’t had his various diaries filled in every day to show he’s done it. I said well he hasn’t done it all. We are busy. It’s too much. The response was that I really need to make time to do it as otherwise he’ll be behind.

I kind of think if he needs that much extra work outside of school then something is going very wrong with the teaching...although I haven’t said that to the teacher.

WIBU to escalate this? I know I’m not the only parent feeling this way. Is it worth taking a stand?

I should add that DS loses playtime if we haven’t filled in his diary so obvs there’s a lot of pressure and guilt on us as parents and we do honestly try to fit it in but sometimes it just doesn’t happen.

YANBU. That’s bloody ridiculous. Make a complaint to the head.

I should also add that DS’s maths skills are above average, he can read fluently and his spelling is great. His handwriting is rubbish though and we do work on this. So it’s not like he’s behind in any sense of the word.

I’m glad you think so too, Happyspud.

The older two never had anywhere near this much homework.

We get one spelling test a week (Fri) and one alternate maths / english task a week (Tues) Also some topic / project work once a term / half term (not sure) in comparison. That is OK. It sounds too much to me.

Wow that does sound like overkill! What is the schools policy on homework? It seems totally unreasonable that there should be consequences for failing to complete homework at this age.

I would definitely talk to the school.

Punishing him as well if the parents haven't signed the forms is also not a good message for your child and is likely to foster resentment.

So does he had to learn spellings every single day? That does sound quite relentless.

Can you just fill in the diary anyway and only do the activities which require proof?

Not unusual in my kid's area once they get to Year 3 . Maybe bitch to the DfE about their ever rising 'standards' rather than blame the school. ( Not a teacher before you ask )

For me, homework is something which should come when the child is old enough to manage it themselves.

If it requires such a high level of parental input, the tasks set are inappropriate and disadvantage children whose parents can't or won't put in the necessary time.

I’d focus on the stress and upset it’s causing to family life. Because believe me, I don’t underestimate how awful forcing exhausted, small children to work is. They’ve been at school all day. Homework should be unnecessary and I think home time is for all the other life lessons they need like helping parents cook and lay the table, maybe preparing their uniform for the next day themselves. Maybe practising piano or other extra curricular that might become a great love or hobby or escape for them in the future. Freestyle drawing and self driven creation projects before dinner. And yes, resting before he next school day.

That’s mad. Check with the school on the amount of homework expected per week and I reckon it would be around this mark.

I’d also just sign his bloody homework diary each night as a sign that you are doing something with your child. I bet he doesn’t have kids himself.

Just tell the teacher that you child won’t be doing homework. Homework in primary school is utterly ridiculous anyway.

No, that’s a ridiculous amount for his age. My DD was given similar from yr 4, despite being above average in all her subjects.

Like you, we work FT and found we spent most weekday evenings arguing over homework. I wrote to the school and outlined why doing that amount of work outside of school was negatively impacting on her home life. We kept the reading up (half an hour minimum a day) and once a week spelling tests but that was it. The school accepted this and DDs education didn’t suffer in the slightest.
Talk to the school and see if you come up with a compromise. Good luck

You have two options:

1. Push the issue and complain it's too much
2. Lie. Fill in the damn book so DS gets his playtime.

Fill in the diary to ‘tick the box’ and do as much as you can manage the rest. It does sound like a lot so check with the school as well.

Practicing writing with his "wrong" hand won't help his handwriting - in fact it might make it worse

Only have a child in reception, but yes that sounds completely nuts. I can't see how your child will learn anything as it's complete overkill. I would expect a 20min/30 min task after school each day tops. It's clear this teacher has not considered that most parents don't finish at the same time as their kids. If your child us in afterschool club, why are they not doing their homework then?

Maybe speak to other mums, as there us no point in complaining if they think the amount of work is justified. The more of you that complain, the better.

Is this what was expected from previous teachers, or is this just the new teacher being inexperienced and not know what suitable levels of work are? Is it making the children anxious? If yes, the mental health of the students is a good reason to complain.

It sounds too much.

20 minutes reading is nothing, but shouldn't need to be done to an adult, just reading in bed before sleeping should be more than enough (but as so many kids have a flipping tv in their bedroom, it's a concept that's alien to some people, still unfair to punish everybody!)

15 spelling words A DAY? that sounds too much too

I would complain - politely. It might not change anything, but I can't stand parents who moan but never actually raise any issue.

1 project and some homework over a week is fine, you just schedule it the evening or the day you are around, you can always find 1 hour even if you go away every weekend.

1 hour a day is far too much, I'd rather my kids to do sport on their free time after school, and no more than 30 minutes work at that age if that includes reading.

When we had something like this going on I used to just pre sign a terms worth of the diary in one go.

It's just nonsense, particularly if DS is being punished for it!

My eldest is year 4 he gets two reading books a week, 10 spellings to learn once a week and maths homework every Friday. The amount your son is getting is crazy!

I’ve just checked the policy on the website and it’s exactly what is set.

So it’s a school thing and not a teacher thing. I could cry with exhaustion at the moment, it’s my only day off this week and so far I’ve done the school drop off and walked the dogs and I’ve spent the rest of the time on the sofa because I am running on empty.

I forgot to say he also does piano, DH teaches him so it’s informal but he really should practise twenty minutes an evening and that falls by the wayside.

It is like pulling teeth most evenings. I work until 6pm, dh gets in before me and usually does his maths with him. I get in and do dinner, one of the teens usually needs a lift somewhere, the dogs need walking, the laundry needs sorting, lunches to make, subsistence level of housework to be done. It’s just relentless. And I think homework is going to tip me over into madness.

I might just go and cry all over the teacher next time I see him. That’ll learn him.

That sounds like a lot.

My Yr4 DD has either maths or literacy work once a week, and it takes her about 5 - 10 mins at the most.

Spellings are once a week (10 words max).

An hour a night in Yr3 is too much.

Speak to the teacher first about the impact on your child and family. Then raise it with the head. It's obviously way to much, kids need to play and relax after school not stress over more work. YANBU.

I hate homework. My kids come home tired after a long day at school I want them to unwind and have fun...like I do when I come home from work.
I would try and speak to some other parents and see if u could get together and raise the issue. Children these days grow up so fast let them play while they still can