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Original poster

To think two hours homework a night is not excessive for a year 10 pupil

438 replies

Challenger5 · 03/10/2022 20:49

DD 1 is adamant that two hours a night homework, is against her human rights. She has been stomping around, refusing to start her homework. DD 1 is being exceptionally rude to me swearing at me for sending her to a prison camp and claiming to be-having a nervous breakdown due to the schools expectations.

I am trying to calm her down and reason with her, that two hours a night is quite proportionate for a year 10 girl at a Grammar School. This especially as the school as stated her target grades are 7-9 in all ten GCSE subjects.

She has also informed me that her head of year as given her a after school detention, today for calling her English teacher a 'mean cow' for a poor homework mark. DD denies calling the teacher that, saying she was misheard when she pulled her face at the teacher.

DD is saying the detention is unfair and against her human rights because it is grossly an excessive punishment even if she had accidentally muttered 'mean cow' when the teacher spoke to her. DD argues that her face pulling was justified because someone has to stand up against the schools unrealistic and unreasonable levels of homework demanded.

OP posts:
Angelinflipflops · 04/10/2022 08:20

Orangeis the new puce, but telling kids that life isn't t fair inherently means they don't challenge injustice, I'd rather they did

Kissingfrogs25 · 04/10/2022 08:21

Angelinflipflops · 04/10/2022 07:37

Poor kid, that's her childhood draining away

They are 14/15 not small children, what do you think the average 15 year old does with too much time on their hands?? Clue: It is not playing barbie

Delatron · 04/10/2022 08:25

It’s not even the homework that is the issue (though I still think 2 hours is excessive). It’s the parents attitude to all this - in YR10.
‘He will be doing 2.5 hours per night’ what are you going to stand over him with a clock?

Surely this should all be self managed at this age. You get given a certain amount of homework and you as a child decide when to do it. That’s how you learn. You work out that leaving it to Sunday night isn’t a good idea, you decide you like to do some before breakfast etc. Are some of you going to follow your kids to Uni to dictate their learning schedule there? I don’t even hover over my YR8 this much. I have no idea how much homework he gets - he does it and it is in top sets and doing well. All fine, no pressure.

Let them work it out for themselves- it’s a good life skill.

reigatecastle · 04/10/2022 08:25

Two hours is totally excessive for Y10. One hour should be sufficient. Kids should be doing hobbies outside school and just relaxing. We go on about work-life balance for adults but apparently kids don't get to have that.

In Y11 and at sixth form you might do more, but then you get plenty of free periods in sixth form to fit the work in. It's only really Y11 where the pressures might mount up a bit due to GCSE exams.

TreeLine6 · 04/10/2022 08:26

I really am astonished at some of the attitudes on this thread. It’s no wonder so many U.K. schools are so poor. Surely everyone knows that the whole point of grammar schools is to provide a culture of high standards and expectations.

The DCs’ grammar is clear that the students are fortunate to attend. Anyone who would rather spend their time on Xbox or tiktok and get poor or mediocre grades are welcome to move to the state comp down the road.

DS1 in year 11 is meant to do 3 hours of homework/revision on school nights with 6 hours on weekends. He has actually had over 4 hours of work on some evenings- tough, yes but he just has to suck it up. Everyone in his year is working just as hard.

The idea that a year 19 doing GCSEs can’t or shouldn’t do 2 hours of work an evening is bonkers to me.

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 04/10/2022 08:28

reigatecastle · 04/10/2022 08:25

Two hours is totally excessive for Y10. One hour should be sufficient. Kids should be doing hobbies outside school and just relaxing. We go on about work-life balance for adults but apparently kids don't get to have that.

In Y11 and at sixth form you might do more, but then you get plenty of free periods in sixth form to fit the work in. It's only really Y11 where the pressures might mount up a bit due to GCSE exams.

Given that school finishes around 3pm, and the average teenager probably doesn't go to sleep before 10pm, there seven hours to relax, meet friends, go to a club or the gym and still have time for 2 hours homework which they don't actually have to do all in one sitting.

Lots of secondaries keep the library open or do a homework club for at least 1 hour after school so that gets half the work out the way before they even leave the building.

Wheelz46 · 04/10/2022 08:28

She definitely needs to express her opinions in a different manner and should not be speaking in the tone she has been.

However, I personally think 2 hours homework each night is too much, high school hours in my area is 6.5 hours add 2 hours on top of that bringing it to 8.5 hours. Total school work for the week is 42.5 hours, that is more hours than a full time employee!

DuckBilledFattypus · 04/10/2022 08:28

My daughter does more than that in her her lowly academy school. Her choice. She wants to do well. It is the GCSE years.

TreeLine6 · 04/10/2022 08:36

@reigatecastle

One of the purposes of year 11 is that there is pressure. GCSEs are not just assessing academic ability, but also organisation and who is willing to put in time and effort.

A DC who is prepared to make sacrifices and do hours of revision each night should absolutely be rewarded over another who is bright but lazy.

Choconut · 04/10/2022 08:38

Totally excessive, and I say that as someone whose ds just got mostly 9's. He hardly had any homework, a few hours a week max. When are they supposed to do extra curricular activities? Have fun with their friends? Relax?

I'm so glad ds went to a really good comp and not somewhere so ridiculously pushy as he'd have been a wreck.

Choconut · 04/10/2022 08:39

Oh and I meant he never had more than a few hours a week homework in Yr11 - I see your is still only in Yr 10!

DuckBilledFattypus · 04/10/2022 08:42

I can't believe that parents think it's ok for their children to do so little. The bright and lazy might still get through. But it's no wonder that education standards are so poor. Kids have no drive, ambition or ability to apply themselves.

Downtown123 · 04/10/2022 08:44

Too much for the poor kid and then to have everyone on her back because she is doing a rubbish job at it is even more degrading. Give her a break

mountainsunsets · 04/10/2022 08:45

DuckBilledFattypus · 04/10/2022 08:42

I can't believe that parents think it's ok for their children to do so little. The bright and lazy might still get through. But it's no wonder that education standards are so poor. Kids have no drive, ambition or ability to apply themselves.

Are you being serious? 🤣

pointythings · 04/10/2022 08:51

2 hours is far too much. Neither of my DDs did anything like this in their state comp. Both achieved grades all in the 7-9 range. A school like this is going to burn certain pupils out before they even get to the exams. If they need this much homework, I would wonder what the hell they're doing during their time at school.

DuckBilledFattypus · 04/10/2022 08:53

mountainsunsets · 04/10/2022 08:45

Are you being serious? 🤣

Show quote history

Yes. Not sure why you think that's funny. But it might go some way to explaining the problems with education standards these days.

pointythings · 04/10/2022 08:55

@DuckBilledFattypus please do tell us what you think the problems are with education standards these days. Please do also remember the world is a very different place to the 'good old days'.

WishIwasElsa · 04/10/2022 08:57

I think 2 hours a night is too much. I think children are in school all day and they need some down time for activities or stuff of their own choice. They get so little free time as it is although people might disagree I feel everyone has too little free time and a poor work life balance all with the aim of making a few people even richer

mountainsunsets · 04/10/2022 08:57

@DuckBilledFattypus if it makes you feel better to believe hours of homework is the key to success in life, you carry on.

I'm just glad my parents didn't make me waste my teenage years slaving over text books. Somehow I still managed to do A-levels, study abroad, graduate university and set up a successful business despite my awful attitude to education though 😉

Delatron · 04/10/2022 08:59

@TreeLine6 4 hours of homework? You do realise that many children at these poor state comps get top grades without anywhere near that level of work (and stress). Makes you wonder..

We’re not talking about gaming here - where’s the time for sport/ music/ things they enjoy?

No child should be doing 4 hours of work for GCSEs in the evening. There’s something wrong if they need to do that amount.

DuckBilledFattypus · 04/10/2022 08:59

Interesting. What do you mean by the good old days. What time period are you referring to? And why are you asking me to remember they are different? Do you think people don't need to work as hard now as they did once because the world is different? And if so, why?

iekanda · 04/10/2022 09:01

It doesn't really matter what is appropriate or not. The fact is that she will get out what she puts in. Does she really, properly understand that the homework is not a present for the teacher, it is actually an investment of time to get her the best possible GCSE grade. My dd is in Y10 and usually puts in 2 hours a night - but this will depend on whether the tasks are finished. It could be more or less. My ds has just done GCSEs and he put in at least 2 hours per night and that is a very big factor in why he ended up with outstanding results.

Delatron · 04/10/2022 09:01

@mountainsunsets
Yes my parents let me get on with it myself. I got good A-levels - studied politics at a red brick uni. Did well. No pressure from my lovely parents. Thank goodness.

Hours of homework every night really isn’t the key to success in.

DuckBilledFattypus · 04/10/2022 09:03

mountainsunsets · 04/10/2022 08:57

@DuckBilledFattypus if it makes you feel better to believe hours of homework is the key to success in life, you carry on.

I'm just glad my parents didn't make me waste my teenage years slaving over text books. Somehow I still managed to do A-levels, study abroad, graduate university and set up a successful business despite my awful attitude to education though 😉

I don't doubt that some bright people can achieve well with little work. That doesn't work for the majority though. So I don't see what your point is, other than you are lucky enough to be able to do well with little effort. Does that mean you should be encouraging others who aren't as academically gifted as you to not work hard?

DuckBilledFattypus · 04/10/2022 09:07

Although I will agree with the principle that if a child doesn't want to do it then they won't get much out of it. However If parents instil the belief that they don't actually need to do any work though, then I think those parents are doing their children a serious disservice.

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