Fucking Primary School homework.

[YippeeKayakOtherBuckets]

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.

maybe not 20 minutes a night though- 10 would do!),

I find that a surprising attitude for a primary school teacher. ‘Do’ for what?

15 spellings a week and 20 mins a day on a maths app that he enjoys doesn’t sound like a big deal. Just skip the reading and sign the book. He can read by himself if he wants or to you at the weekend.

That’s your choice. But logically, children who are doing an extra hour of meaningful learning will learn more. And if you accept that, fine.

mine don't need to. They do the basic homework required by school, but the rest of their time is free, and they learn much better that way.

They are not allowed tv during the week, and computer games during school term though! That HELPS a lot!

15 spellings a week

is it 15 spelling a WEEK? (not much for a year 3)
or 15 spelling A DAY? (too much for a year 3!)

church banging your head off the wall for an extra hour only gives you a sorer head. Deciding to look for a door because you have given your brain a diversion / rest is far more effective.

Homework that is relevant and at the right level won’t involve banging your head against anything. Obviously children need breaks. I agree that this is too much. But the fact of the matter is, properly set homework that gets donewill mean more learning takes place. If you want other things to take place instead, that’s okay and your choice as a parent, but it makes no sense to suggest that no less learning will then take place.

’It’s 15 new spellings a week’

I thought it was 15 a day and was but 15 a week sounds totally reasonable.

I think homework in primary school is ridiculous, especially when it’s either pointless busy-work or grand craft projects that parents have to do because 5 year olds just can’t.

However as a parent, you need to own your reasons for not doing homework. Extra-curriculars are your choice. Your child doesn’t need to learn the piano and go to Beavers and go swimming. The fact you have one doing GCSEs or that you work full time is immaterial; that’s not the school’s problem.

If you don’t want him to do homework then don’t do it. Just be prepared to defend your reasons.

weymouthswanderingmermaid
True but if I remember correctly the OP said that their DC isn't in proper wraparound care, they're just doing different after school clubs on different nights.
So it's really, the school day plus mutliple after school clubs, then any additional clubs and enrichment the OP wants to do on evenings as well.

They've then come back and said that it's 15 spellings a week, which isn't actually that much Vs the impression of daily spelling lists.

I do agree too much homework in primary isnt a good thing, but I also think the approach of "we're too busy... Just lie to the teacher... Tell the teacher they don't dictate your family time" that some propose isnt the right approach.

Hallloumi
So in your situation that makes sense, in which case you'd query the whole school policy with the head.

But you'd be amazed how often people make the decision to send their child to a particular school over others and then complain. We are an oversubscribed high performing secondary school and still get parents complaining we expect homework to be done because their child is "too busy" with various activities or they went to see grandma at the weekend. They're often the first to ask what staff are doing to support their underperforming child. I can't help but think years of telling their child not to bother with homework, writing notes lying to the teacher etc catches up and then suddenly it's everyone else's job to run around after them when they want their child to get results. We are a sensible school with sensible policies and our results don't come from thin air.

DontbeaBabs

I can’t accept that your children wouldn’t learn more if they did more work, providing they aren’t exhausted and the work is relevant. Sorry. It doesn’t make sense to me.

That doesn’t mean I advocate them working all the time. It’s just that more (relevant) study that takes place when children aren’t exhausted will facilitate more learning, and I can’t see how it wouldn’t.

Both my DCs go to after school care and they won't help with homework. There is a homework club at one of their schools but it's only once a week.

I wouldn't bother, I'd do the reading and tick that off and then if they start to make a fuss say it's homework or sleep, and you choose sleep.

Secondary teacher here. I think 1 hr a night is ok by year 9 but redicilous at this stage! I bet other parents aren't happy either so maybe a group approach is sensible. Failing that ask the teacher to right you a timetable that fits in homework, extra curricular activities, meals, family time, hygiene and sleep and see what he comes up with!

Failing that ask the teacher to right you a timetable that fits in homework, extra curricular activities, meals, family time, hygiene and sleep and see what he comes up with!

Honestly, if a secondary school teacher can’t get ‘right’ versus ‘write’ right then I think 15 spellings a week needs to be the number one priority.

The HW in question does not sound like meaningful learning.

There is a limit to how much meaningful learning a person can absorb in a day. It is far less than 6 hours which is why I have no problem with the fact that my DD probably spends less than 25% of her school day engaged in meaningful learning. If the school were suggesting I should be doing the meaningful learning because they "don't have time" I would be complaining.

Let alone ‘ridiculous’.

The HW in question does not sound like meaningful learning.

Reading, spelling and maths? Sounds meaningful to me.

Talk to the other parents if you can, then take it to the head. If the head won't listen, complain formally to the Chair of Governors that this policy is misguided and bad for children (because it is!) If the governors are also useless, you can escalate it further. It is fine to stand up to a school on behalf of your kids, if the school is pursuing stupid policies. It also teaches your DC, early on, that you can question 'authority', fight back and disobey when you are right and authority is wrong.

. It also teaches your DC, early on, that you can question 'authority', fight back and disobey when you are right and authority is wrong.

A lesson I suspect most parents will regret before the next leaves fall...

I'd agree that's way too much and not needed ages 8. My son is in yr 3 and we have weekly spelling tests (practice over breakfast time), a list of 'projects' based on this quarters theme. Eg at the mo it's the Stuart's so he's going to research some famous Stuarts but we have a week for that.

Reading should be daily but we don't as we can't. DH and I work FT he's in after school club every day and plays premiership academy football up to 5 times a week.

We've spoken to teacher who said he's well ahead on his reading do do it when you can.

If he's losing playtime cos of it I'd formally complain to head and chair of governors. Utterly not acceptable.

DS1 is in year 7 and gets nowhere near that amount! DS2 in year 3 gets spellings to write out, one piece of maths work and one piece of topic. Has to read 3 x a week.

Reading should be daily but we don't as we can't. DH and I work FT he's in after school club every day and plays premiership academy football up to 5 times a week.

That’s your choice but it’s not can’t, it’s we choose not to. You are choosing football over reading.

Totally agree with this! DS, aged 5 and in P1 (Scotland), gets the following:

1. Biff, Chip and Kipper book to read - handed out on Mon to be done by Fri.
2. Key stage words - have the same words until he knows them - think they get a new one every month.
3. Literacy and numeracy grid: complete 2 tasks a week and initial when done.
4. A worksheet per day - they learn a new letter/sound a day and they're supposed to do a sheet per letter starting on Mon night, to be handed back on Friday. Each sheet takes DS about 10 minutes, so if you miss a night (or 3) then we wind up spending 40 minutes on this alone on a Thursday. If he misses some they come home the next week.
5. Blending sounds - we get 2 laminated sheets a week with 10 words each. The first list is sent home on Mon to be completed by Wed, then second list is sent home on Wed to be completed by Fri. DS hates these lists and each list takes at least 20 minutes of chivvying.

DD aged 7 and in P3, at the same school, by contrast, gets homework of 'read for 15 minutes in a chapter book every night'. Plus a spelling list to be completed by Friday. Her spelling takes 10 minutes.

DS started off keen to do his homework but there's just so bloody much of it! I want to support him, particularly with the blending sounds, but it's sodding exhausting and I wind up snapping at him because he's had enough. They're in wraparound care or at an activity until 5.30 every night, when DH picks them up, and I'm not home until 6.15. We generally eat more or less as soon as I get in so no homework is started until 7. DS is completely unable to focus if he hasn't eaten anyway.

If the kid can read well and has a real aptitude for football, he should keep up with the football. TBH in the current climate, aspiring to professional football is probably better for his future options than aspiring to a 'proper job' anyway.

TooExtraImmatureCheddar

I agree that that is bonkers.

I'm completely anti homework. Kids have the whole school day to do school work, why is that not enough? Let them enjoy their time outside school by doing the things they enjoy. They have the whole rest of their lives to worry about having a crap work-life balance.

Let them enjoy their time outside school by doing the things they enjoy.

I enjoyed learning. I think it’s counter-productive to frame learning as ‘work’.