Homework club for a Year 4, AIBU to say no?

[SickofHomework]

DD is currently Year 3 (7 almost 8 years old). We’re in a 3-tier system so she has 1 more year left after she finishes Year 3 of Primary/First School before Middle School (midlands before anyone asks).

DD has some SN and because of that I had to get rid of her tablet and laptop. She was just too attached to them, refused to come off or use them just for homework, tried to take it to bed with her (never managed it) and would refuse to do anything else at all until I promised her tablet time.

When I got rid (when she was in Year 2) I told school she would need paper copies of any homework, I told them I was happy to pay for printing costs, or if they’d prefer, they could email it to me and I’d use the printer at work (with permission). They refused, told me I needed to give the tablet back as they use apps only for homework. I have repeatedly explained why I got rid of the tablet (I kept the laptop and occasionally use it although I have a work laptop if I need to work), and I am sticking with that decision as when DD goes round to friends or family she asks if they have a tablet and will sit on that for the whole time, we’re there rather than play with family and it’s a battle to get her off it. School told me she needs to learn to self-regulate it but she just won’t, she’d sit all day and do nothing else.

I have asked both the teachers since I got rid of the tablet and mentioned it to the SENCo all of whom made the right noises and said they’d sort it then came back to me and said it’s apps onluy.

(For context her SN is dyslexia, Developmental Co-ordination Disorder/Dyspraxia and an eye condition – tablet is not good for her eye condition either).

School is now saying that as she’s done no homework this year and got 0/0 on every spelling test (yep even spelling practice is an app) that when she gets to Year 4, she’ll have to go to homework club on 2 nights a week, these will be the 2 nights her teacher runs the club and she will just be kept back and not released to me. They’ve said the children will be given the school ipads to work on their homework.

DD does activities on some nights, which she loves. She also hates school so keeping her there longer may tip her over the edge, we already get violent meltdowns. I also try and make appointments for her eye condition after school but they aren’t on a set night as I will go to whichever clinic her consultant is at (he runs it at 1 local hospital but also runs clinics in the 2 next counties along and will just fit patients in wherever there’s a gap rather than say we must be seen at X hospital).

AIBU to say no they can’t keep her as I’ve repeatedly asked for paper copies of the homework? They’ve told me she’ll fail the year (whatever that means) if she doesn’t do homework and she will “not be prepared for Year 5 and the independence needed”.

AIBU?

When I take her to family or friends house she asks if they have a tablet, if they do she will literally sit on it for the entire time we're there if given the chance. A family member let her have ago when doing childcare during holidays and regretted it as she refused to come off to even eat, a 2 year detox has not helped at all, she just wants it more. Even with strict limits it's a battle and argument to get her off, even with a timer it's a battle to get her off to the point that one time her tablet nearly snapped in half because I was trying to tug it off her.

She isn't autistic. She can play, and has friends but that's all forgotten the moment a tablet comes out. We even have to avoid the upstairs bit at the local mcdonalds due to the tablets as she will literally sit there and refuse to eat/do anything else except play on the tablets the concept of "It's time for someone else to have ago" is met with "But I've only just gone on".

Trust me I have tried to reintroduce the tablet over the last two years it doesn't work at all, I can't see us ever being able to reintroduce it, but maybe we will

Unbelievable! How very dare teachers try to support your child’s education in their own time! How dare they suggest that to help their workload and support students that learning is on electronic devices! Yes, best you start complaining to governors and Ofsted asap.
I truly wish that ALL parents had to pay for education, it’s only then that parents might value it’s worth.

OP I totally get it, my DS is younger but the same. Some children (and adults) simply find screens totally addictive. He is terrible when its turned off, has no concept of time when he is on one. We allow very little tablet time as our experiences allowing him on one horrified us tbh. He's like a different child without one - happily plays with lego, other children, crafts or scrap modelling.

Tbh I struggle myself. Its extremely stimulating in a way my brain is very drawn to, I understand that.

I'd be going bonkers at the governors in your shoes. It's a) totally unreasonable for schools to be imposing so much screen time and b) homework at that age beyond reading book etc is proven to be of little value.

However, I'm not sure I believe you couldnt have spent a few mins to find what words were coming up in the spelling app and learn them offline, it can't be that many words? Yes she wouldn't be filling in on the app but when the teacher tests later on at least she could show she had learned them. If they are never ever tested outside the app I would definitely be taking that up with the school as it's not reasonable.

Seashor plenty of schools manage without having to have all homework be screen based. Yes its convenient for the teachers but screen time really is not great for kids.

I will be finding out the words using the app on my phone and writing them down and testing her that way, I still do daily reading with her even though school don't send books home anymore (yep Oxford Owls online) so that's one of the suggestions I will be doing, I will also do some workbooks with her.

I didn't value her education I wouldn't have offered to meet the cost of printing (either via paying school or paying work), I wouldn't put her in activities that support her education (unless you're saying that they don't?) and I wouldn't be posting here for suggestions.

Some very good suggestions here that I will be following but none of it involve giving her a tablet to do her homework on.

As an aside, does she receive the same spellings as the rest of the class? My DS has dyslexia & dyspraxia. He has spellings that are tailored for him (Y4).

As part of the recovery plan, he was also offered an additional reading group, outside of normal school hours. He tried it but as it was causing him so much stress, the senco agreed it was better to focus on his mental health than reading.

Honestly, I would be absolutely fuming if the school overstepped my boundaries as a parent and tried to insist on the table being used. It’s nuts. Don’t they realise that hand written homework is better for the child’s development and coordination at this age? As for the homework club, it’s only something I would agree to if I thought it would benefit my child. Op, if you think it will tip her over the edge then don’t send her!! Kids spend long enough days in school, she’ll only be 8 for goodness sake. You can practice her spelling with her at home, with games, reading and practice.

Spelling as a compromise since it’s quick can you test in paper then enter them into the app as she spelt them. Only suggesting this as it may lead to practical support and a record of difficulty. Be clear this is how it’s done.
It is though fine and a valid choice not to parent with tablets. One of mine was similar, though not as extreme and I limited severely. He’s growing into a teen than can regulate himself now and can programme phyton and use most of the Adobe suite confidently.

@SickofHomework so I was just randomly scrolling through my Facebook and I saw all this info on why paper is better than screens. So I thought of you and I'd copy and paste. There is research to back up what they say.
Happy #WorldBookDay: here is why you should ditch digital devices for good old-fashioned paper. 👀📖

✔ We read (at least) 10% slower on screens. (Research by UX research leader Nielsen Norman Group, 2010)

✔ We understand and remember less when we read texts on screens than on paper: psychologists call this the screen inferiority effect. 📱📉

✔ Although we may grasp the gist while reading on both mediums, more details are missed when reading in digital formats. This is true especially for longer and more complex texts (Singer & Alexander, 2016).

✔ Scrolling down 👆 instead of turning pages affects our ability to construct a cognitive map of the text: which makes us less able to locate a piece of information in the book and less motivated to look for it if needed. (Hou, Rashid & Lee, 2017)

✔ Print provides sensory & tactile information that enhances cognitive processing: seeing the words, feeling the pages, even smelling the paper 👃 are sensory cues that help us understand texts faster.

In one study, two groups of people were presented with a story on a Kindle e-reader and in a book and were asked to locate events in the text and reconstruct the plot of the story. Results showed those who had read in the book were better in defining the chronology and temporality in the story. (Mangen, 2019)

Learn more 🧠👉 bit.ly/ReadingAcrossMediums

Just thinking.. might it be an idea to let them see what she like when they try and take it off her? Takes the pressure off of you and she gets her hw done?

You need to go straight back to the school about the EHCP as it is not about behaviour and all about a child’s need to be educated

@user1471505494 I've applied anyway but school are saying she won't get an EHCP due to her needs being met and the extra help she get being expected and her behaviour is fine so there's no unmet need.

To me there is though as even without the tablet there is still meltdowns after school.

@mumsys on point 2 they've told me it's not a help club, it is for the kids who don't do homework to do it, those who use the school wraparound still have to pay for wraparound at full price while they're at homework club, it's literally for them to do homework at while being supervised by a teacher.

So it's providing IT facilities for those who wish to use them but do not have access. Which is fine, probably funded by the PPG for those who aren't paying wraparound.

But they cannot make it compulsory, as it then becomes a punishment/detention, which is not legal. And it goes directly against your DD's HCP. And is potentially being used as a reason for refusal to look at getting an EHCP. Which is not legal, either.

Ridiculous comment. Ensuring that every child can access the curriculum in a way that suits their individual needs is a cornerstone of the education system and enshrined in law. OP is clearly not refusing to do homework; she has sought to work with the school to find an alternative to everything being on screen. The school has been completely unreasonable in being so rigid in its homework policy and refusal to find a workable alternative.

Sorry OP, but I think you're handling this all wrong.

She is dyslexic and dyslexic. Neither of those things have anything to do with her behaviour on a tablet. In fact, kids with dyslexia are often given a tablet to allow them to complete work without the addition challenge of spelling holding them back.

Her SEN have no impact on her behaviour around tablets. She is just a child who isnt doing what she is told and is obsessed with screens. There are millions of them. You just need to parent through.

You should be giving her a tabler for homework time, with nothing else loaded onto it at all. She does her homework and then you remove the tablet.

Sorry, but she needs to learn. And you're holding her back because you would rather avoid it than teach her to regulate and manage this.

*and dyspraxic

And also, dyslexia and dyspraxia dont come with "meltdowns".

That is again, just bad behaviour which, instead of managing, you're blaming on SEN. But she doesnt have SEN that would cause any of that.

She doesnt need an EHCP or any additional stuff in school. She is getting what she needs already.

How will she do the Y4 times table test if you won’t use technology. I assume she uses tech at school, how does that go?

Surely you just need to set some limits in the tablet settings? Ours only has school apps and a few websites which school use (White Rose etc). I've set it to stop functioning at 7pm. I could also set a time limit on daily use.

If the school is tech heavy, aren’t they also using tech in the classroom? Is she having these meltdowns there?

Right now you are fighting about an app, but as you advance, the curriculum at many schools is completely integrated with technology. It’s not as simple as printing a worksheet. Our school issues every student either an tablet or a laptop depending on year.

if you truly believe your dd needs a screen free education, then you are going to need to get a doctor to sign off on it and get it out into an education plan. Good grades and behavior at school are not enough to stop her from getting accommodations it just makes it much harder to achieve. The school won’t provide testing so you are going to need to try your GP and impress upon them the severity of the meltdowns or go private.

By year 3 there is usually a fair amount of tablet use in the school curriculum- how does she cope with this at school? Have they found difficulties with her stopping activities?

whilst I understand your frustration, the use of ice is embedded into the curriculum and, at the end of year 4 there is a tables check done using an app either on the computer with a mouse or a tablet - she will need regular practice during year 4. How to you envisage managing that?

Our school really don't use technology as often a people think, for a start they only have 1 class set of ipads (30) and half a classes worth of laptops (16), there's 3 classes per year so each class probably only uses the computers once per half term if they're lucky - they also loan the laptops out to another local school for parts of the year. There's interactive whiteboards in every classroom though.