Homework in Year 1

[queenqueenqueen]

I love my dds lovely little School and generally have no complaints but I'm getting really fed up of the very boring worksheet homework that is coming home... Tonight was highlight the missing punctuation and capital letters in sentences and then rewrite them correctly (there were 10 of them - long sentences too!) Really felt for her! 😔 want to support the school and also my child at home but this doesn't feel right, said we'd finish it tomorrow but I don't actually think I want to - thinking of popping a note in her contact book but not sure what to say as don't want to be "that" parent - still quite new to all this school stuff any advice really appreciated!

@LoisLittsLover that's a bit harsh to assume I don't have aspirations for my child because I don't want her sitting down doing 3 x worksheets a week at home 😐😐but as PP said it must be very hard to please everyone (parents) dds school is an outstanding school and is fab, we are very pleased with it on the whole, I can imagine their are parents there who agree with the people on here saying this amount of stuff is fine but personally, I agree with another P who said it's a shame that the marker of success with such little ones are this. 😕

@churchandstate the link didn't work?

Sorry, not sure why it wouldn’t.

It just worked for me:

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.forbes.com/sites/nataliewexler/2019/01/03/why-homework-doesnt-seem-to-boost-learning-and-how-it-could/amp/

The link works for me. It is an interesting read, churchandstate - it seems to suggest that background and cultural capital are stronger drivers of academic achievement than levels of homework. I'm not sure how that can be addressed in a society as unequal as the UK unless we move away from Govian ideas about instilling maths and literacy to the exclusion of almost everything else - and that isn't going to happen.

It does, Pointy, but it actually suggests that homework can close that gap for children from lower income families, and that lower expectations from teaching staff with regards to completion of homework by these children can be damaging. It also suggests that Maths homework is actually more effective at primary than it is at secondary.

I'm a year 1 teacher and that is over the top and doesn't really have any benefit for the children.
All we send home is reading books. No official home learning is set. We give parents access to websites for games they could play and suggestions they could do at home if they wish.
In January we will begin to send home some optional home learning phonics games but again no pressure..

My DC are at a very homework-light school - emphasis on creative projects, reading log and practising spellings. I'd be surprised for my DD in Y6 to come home with that amount of homework tbh.
I love the hands-off approach to homework, certainly haven't noticed any academic issues arising - the only potential problem I foresee is them having to up their game massively at Big School.
But they will be older and more able to cope with it then I hope.
Hell, I'm over forty and still can't manage my workload.

Sounds similar to what we get if not the same.
I haven’t actually checked the homework bag tonight so we could even be at the same school!
I think it’s fine the amount we get and the time they have to do it in. We usually do a sheet at a time or all the maths one day, writing the next. I like the fact we just do it and the kids are given it with the assumption it just gets done as it has meant we don’t get arguments about having to do it. I’m hoping it’ll help stall the reluctance as they get older

Op I agree that's loads! My dd is 5 and in y1. She is doing very well and loves school. She loves writing stories, cards etc. But 10 sentences sounds overkill and would take her a while! They work hard at school and don't need to do a lot at home imo.

My dd has per week

5 spellings
Reading (supposed to be 4x)
Choice of learning log tasks eg creative, numbers

I think that's plenty. It has to be done after a long day of school / childcare or it piles up to be done on Sunday afternoon! It can kill love of learning if the homework is excessive.

Dd does a lot of free reading and has some literacy and numeracy workbooks she uses too. She also likes writing stories or letters so I will sit with her and help her with that. Overall I think it's a good balance.

My son is in year 1.

They have one piece of homework to do every fortnight. At start of every half term they are given a list of 20 potential homework tasks they can do and the child picks which one they want to do and then have the two weeks to do it. Once that homework has been handed in they choose which task they want to do next from the list.

In terms of reading they are just required to read at home a minimum of 3 times a week.

I fon't like homework for primary. But my kids had long school days and I felt after 8 hours they should just be allowed to relax or do clubs etc. It really was the source of most arguments with my son when he was in primary.
I think they should have a reading book a week and maybe one sheet of work with half a page on each a subject (so two subjects a day) max. And this in part so the parent can be aware of what their kids are studying.

Year 1 teacher and deputy head. Far too much, uninspiring and will switch her off learning. Reading is the most important thing and talking to her! I'd definitely go in say it's too much and she won't be doing it.

Seems a lot. I don't stress too much about homework, we do the bare minimum. I'm much more concerned about reading her a story or two every night and having her read to me for 15 minutes or so every day. They are only 5/6 and have already been in school for the best part of 7 hours. I'd sooner they play and enjoy the evening than have the love of learning/intellectual curiosity sucked out of them by piling on too much work.
If it were up to me, I'd get rid of homework entirely for primary school except for reading.

We have a weekly worksheet alternating between maths and phonics plus the usual reading book. I tend to leave the reading as we read each night anyhow.

Its the family learning that drives me potty. We have it two or three times a term. Currently constructing a Tudor house with DD out of cardboard and balsa wood. Then I have to take time off work to go into the school at an inconvenient time (between 2 and 2.30 usually) for a tour of her classroom and to look at everyone's work.