AIBU to wish primary schools would do away with homework

[Mondaymoanday]

When I was at primary, kids would be expected to learn some spellings, read, do times tables, maybe do a termly project at home. I hate how much family time is lost to busywork homework.

We didn't have homework and would beg for it so we had something to do when Crossroads, Emmerdale Farm, Brookside, Eastenders and all that tut was on TV.

I then grew up and had one child who didn't mind it and one that decided schoolwork was for school and home was for everything else and refused point blank.

I chose my battles when she was at primary. She wouldn't do it, she'd completely lose her shit over the idea (and thanks, primary school, it might have helped had you actually considered that a bright child was capable of receiving an AuDHD diagnosis, but you insisted that she was absolutely fine, you utter numpties) and I wasn't about to spend my 90 minutes after getting home from work and walking 35 minutes from the childminder in the pissing rain to go through that every night.

I didn't think they could enforce homework in primary school. It was a while ago but I never forced homework with the exception of reading and spellings which we did every day but my kids loved reading anyway.
I remember mentioning to DDs Y2 teacher about struggling to get her to do written homework and he told me not to bother as long as she was reading doing spellings and x table's.
DS has severe SEN so doesn't get homework so no idea what Y1s homework is now but I don't think it's worth stressing over m

YANBU and you’re backed up by research.

We refused to do most homework except reading (and even that I didn’t get them to write anything) when mine were that age as caused so much stress and bad feeling. We just ignored it. They had no problems adjusting to homework when they were older and have done well academically.

Treason - not suitable for a five year old.

My kids school tried to do it but then got clobbered by OFSTED. But it was the best thing they ever tried.

At my sons primary if they don’t do the homework they stay in on Friday lunch to do it.

I agree OP! I’m a teacher at an excellent school, and my DS is in year 2 at my school.

The homework he gets is so abstract and so badly scaffolded that it sometimes takes hours of me or DH instructing him or teaching him new concepts in order for him to complete it. Last night it was 2 blank, lined pages with the single instruction ‘write about the difference between a producer and a consumer’ (!!). He’s still learning to write correctly, with finger spacing and correct spelling, and often doesn’t know the vocabulary needed to complete the task. He doesn’t know that he needs to include examples. He hasn’t even grasped the concept of a producer or a consumer…

Im thinking of saying something to his teacher but it’s awkward because she’s my colleague. I honestly wonder how the rest of the class manage.

My 2 are y1 and y2. I never make them do homework unless they want to. They do their reading books that’s about it

My year 1 child gets a worksheet a week, can be quite long, also expected to read and go on numbots daily. Honestly we don’t keep up. She does activities 4 nights a week, which I think are also an important part of her development.
I think the school would rather her just come home and stare at her tablet on numbots.
I am also a teacher, she has had homework since school nursery. But we have been told they will lose their break if they don’t do the written homework so we prioritise that.
Also as others have said it is so random! This week she was supposed to write sentences about the current king and the kings and queens from before she was born. We basically had to dictate the whole thing.

To me it looks like this isn’t about homework- its about the kind of homework.
Something a child can do independently in a short time (which is what our school is doing - 10 min max) is great in my opinion from year 3/4. Everyone has 5-10 minutes per day!
Homework that takes forever and needs parental involvement- not so much.

My child gets homework on a Thursday and it has to be done by Tuesday, it’s one English exercise and a sheet of times tables. He is also expected to read most night and log it on an app and do times table rock star 4 times a week . It does feel like a lot!

I'm a primary school teacher and I don't agree with it either. Reading is important and maybe some learning or interactive homework now and again but it should be short and a few times a week. My 6 year old struggles to focus and every homework is a battle.

Just spellings, reading and times tables app at our primary school. I'm glad there's nothing else as that's more than enough to keep up with!

I agree. My DS (year 2) gets a worksheet with 4 different tasks on it- one linked to spelling, reading, maths and writing. It’s quite a lot of work, I break it down so he only has to do one task a night otherwise it would be too much.

They’re called ‘optional’ tasks but only one week he didn’t do them when we were busy. He just coloured in the hearts to say he’d practised his spellings and read his book a few times and he also practised his letter writing on the back. The teacher found him in breakfast club and made him do an optional task!

This would have (and did) work
with my dd, but my DS no way. He needed you to make the time when he would do it, it down with him, and guide him through the homework.

Not because he’s a boy but just because of his personality. He does have ADHD but I can’t see how this wouldn’t apply to alot of kids.

My dd was very self motivated and would do it all without intervention but I think she’s the exception rather than the rule.

I agree with you in a general way but specifically, that homework is bonkers and you must speak to your colleague about it! What does she think she's teaching, Economics GCSE?! (Tell her there's plenty of vacancies for Economics teachers 😂).

Year 6 and year 2

Yr 6 gets about 6 pages of homework on a Fri which she does by herself (takes her about 20 mins) spellings and reading. She needs more, she is very smart and breezes through this!

y2 has spellings, reading, times table and handwriting which we spend about 20 mins a day doing before school. he would struggle with any more than that as he has the attention span of a gnat

YANBU; I informed DD's school that she'd continue reading for pleasure at home, go over spellings and time tables but no other homework would be completed, and to punish us rather than DD as it was our decision. Funnily enough, no punishment was offered 😂

I'm an ex-secondary teacher who also didn't give homework until GCSE, and even then, only if I absolutely couldn't avoid it. They were absolutely swamped with homework from other subjects every night, and there was nothing I could give them that would be as beneficial as reading for pleasure, so that was something I asked them all to do at least once a week.

Our kids school has when my eldest went into yr 2, so my youngest has never had to do it.
The ask them to read 3 times a week, which we do more than that anyway, as we have always read at bedtime.
And to do the online games sometimes TTRockstars, purple mash, mathematics etc, but my kids only do them sporadically and it's never been a big issue.

My primary aged kids have spellings (once a week), times tables (once a week) and reading (4x a week). I don't think teachers love homework, it's normally a response to parental pressure.

For our kids it was pretty optional for the lower years and mostly mathletics/tt rockstars, with the occasional poster to make. My kids liked doing it and it wasn't much.
In year 6 they are expected to do it. I think they have to stay in at break times to complete it if they don't do it. I think some homework in y5/y6 is good as it eases them into the reality of secondary school homework.
Again, it's not a lot. Probably amounts to 30-45 mins a week, so easy enough to fit in.

Plus reading, of course.

@Mondaymoanday

do it / dont do it it doesnt matter. It only matters to you and your child.
i personally love homeworks in primary. My children talked to me about what they did at school, when creative writing they were telling me wonderul stories, maths wss a stepping stone in their maturing brains. Sciences were another way to understand the world which we would bring into the kitchen through experiences, or to the park, etc.

it also give them discipline to understand that sometimes you do things that you have to do as opposed to doing things that you want to do.

it worked for us but i understand it doesnt for others, i also believe some families are “lazy”. So do them, dont do them… but i wouldnt them removed altogether as they work for some

Homework is fine so long as its not too much, not on weekends or holidays except, and they are capable of doing it independently.
My 1st grader gets homework daily except Fridays, takes 10 minutes max and gets him into good study habits. Its also taught him that the bare minimum isn't good enough (a lesson he definitely needed to learn) as he was kept back after school to go to homework club when he clearly rushed his colouring homework. Also has to stay behind if he forgets to do it, and as a naturally forgetful person he is struggling with that but learning that having a homework routine helps prevent him forgetting. Far better for him to learn these lessons now when he's just started school than when he's in upper school and the responsibility of taking care of his learning is much much higher.

My kids don't really have homework. Year 1 is reading and spellings. Year 4 they get that plus times tables. Year 5 is reading, spellings and one piece of online homework a week with multiple choice questions that takes 5-20 mins to do. I believe year 6 is quite intense though as they do all the SAT prep. But until now, there's barely been any homework. Quite worried about how they're going to transition to secondary school to be honest 🙈

With regards to homework being a means to ensure the children can do work independently, that's something they teach them to do at our school. Some tasks they do in groups, others independently.

Completely agree!
They should be out playing in the street with other children. This would be much more beneficial to them.