to be fed up with KS2 homework

[justdontrelateanymore]

For background - one of my DC has SEND (in mainstream with EHCP) and my other DC has health issues from infancy that mean they need regular operations every year. These operations will stop when my child reaches teens/adulthood, but they are overwhelming and time goes so quickly that it's not long before the next date comes around. We also have to go to a specialist hospital many miles from home for their surgeries and they have time off school for this etc.

My children thrive emotionally, as we have always prioritised their wellbeing and we read books daily. My children enjoy school, but I am not wanting to push, push, push them with loads of extra-curriculars and homework, because I feel like wellbeing is much more important. Especially given our family circumstances above.

However, now they are in KS2, there is a constant push for homework. DH and my capacity to see that they get it done is slipping away. I am anxious about letting my children down educationally, but aibu to throw my hands up and say I can't cope with all their homework etc, these days - on top of all the rest of life? Any teachers out there or people with wisdom?!

all the research has found that a parent reading to their child for a minimum of 15 minutes a day is far better than them doing homework. I refused to let my children do homework the whole of primary school as they are already there 6 hours a day!! It’s a full time job! They need time after school to relax and have downtime especially with additional needs! It’s not necessary or the law so just tell school it’s not productive or necessary and you won’t be doing it!

What homework are they getting in KS2 that requires your input?

Primary School homework beyond reading is a complete waste of time.

Just carry on as you are.

Not unreasonable to be fed up.

what you do about it for me would depend on your child.

ideally your child would be able to complete the homework without actual help other than you supervising.

now if it’s make a full model of a Norman castle in a week personally I’d just not do it.
if it’s a maths sheet a week I’d probably make more effort.

My DC had reading, spellings and times tables. They did those.

There were additional homework activities that pupils chose to complete. DC always chose not to!

All the rest isn’t needed.

More information is needed before deciding if you are being unreasonable or not. What is the homework and how frequently is it set?
My kids school ask that children read for 15 mins 4 times a week and set a weekly homework which alternates between different subjects (usually a sheet that should take no more than 30 mins or a research task). They also get spellings. No one is chased up for not doing homework though.

Talk to the school and explain your position. You are doing the right thing by prioritising your children’s wellbeing (and your own) given the circumstances, but the school has to cater for all families, and unfortunately many want homework.

Your children do need to keep up with reading and times tables practice but most homework has no benefit.

How much are they being given? Any homework ds got from primary school on top of reading always came with a clear “don’t spend more than 20 minutes on it message” which was more than doable. Any more and I would be saying no!

YANBU at all. DC’s primary school only start homework in the January term of year 6, in prep for secondary school. Before then it’s spellings, reading, and a half-termly choice of topic related tasks, but none of it is checked on enforced. I don’t think I’ve ever done spellings with DS2 since I realised it wasn’t necessary with DS1. They’re only kids for a few years. Let them just chill - especially if you’ve got operations etc on your plate!!

We never entertained the homework for either of our dc in primary until yr6 when they were preparing for sats. The teacher would make a big deal about it during parents evenings, but i didn’t care. I always read to them though, and vice verse

My dc are 16 & 12 now. The do homework for secondary school and are not falling behind their peers educationally.

I voted YABU because I do give homework but none of it is pointless and would be very difficult to learn in school, spellings , tables, reading, verbs , new vocab lists to read and 3-5 sums every night on the topic we are working on so parents are aware of . All of these are differentiated appropriately according to ability.

The evidence suggests it doesn't make a difference in primary school, so I wouldn't bother. However, I would work on times tables in addition to reading, as those mathematical principles are important and helpful.

Even in Secondary school they should work with you to limit/prioritise the homework so that it's not overwhelming around medical needs. That would be totally normal. I'm a secondary school teacher btw. It's only at KS4 that I would say everything I set is directly necessary to get the best outcomes.

No one is chased up for not doing homework though.

My DC are young adults now but when in KS2 there were two pieces of homework per week which doesn’t seem alot but alongside reading, times tables and spelling lists was a lot, especially if you had after school activities. If any children failed to hand in homework they were simply kept in and lost their morning or lunch break until it was completed, no option to not bother or tell the school your DC weren’t going to be doing homework. This was a state junior school.

I often read on here of parents who have told the school “no” and always interested to know if there were any consequences. I am in the ‘homework should be optional’ camp.

Thank you. I think this is the wisdom I just needed to hear. You're right, 6 hours is a full time job - I've never thought about it like that before!

Struggling with maths, not knowing what words mean in some comprehension exercises, requiring supervised access to the internet (especially my SEND child who is more vulnerable and likely to click spam banners without understanding), uploading their digital work for their teachers. 😫
Bring back worksheets, I say!!

Our school are quite heavy on homework - 15 mins of reading 5 times a week, spellings, times tables practice and a weekly activity for something in a curriculum subject (history / geography / science / english etc.)
It just all feels like too much for me, personally!

Well quite!

Reading to your child is entirely sufficient and counting stuff in the course of normal life - recipe quantity calculations etc.

There is absolutely no need for homework in primary school and some of it is pushy parent led and just makies work for the teachers - extra marking, chasing up late homnework, doling out suitable punishments - it is all nonsense.

Let these children claim their childhoods.

My 3 went to schools where there was no homework at primary level - their degrees and post grad qualifications bely the idea that this might havew been to their detriment in any way.

The latest research I read (based on 14 year olds, I'm not sure how old ks2 children are ) is that "homework has small but significant improvement in student performance." It is most effective in Maths and should be short tasks.

As you say they are struggling, then I think continuing with homework is important. I would focus on maths and spellings, and keep up the reading, but maybe ditch the topic subjects.

Well in our school there is a homework policy that it is set weekly. I work in KS1 and can only stick the homework in to books we receive back (so not everyone gets given it).
Likewise my daughter in KS2 has a teacher that says they aren't going to punish anyone for not attempting the homework, but I think most do it or hand something in as they all tick their names off a list when they hand their books in.
The only time they seem to push it is in year 6 and if they don't do the page in the book they have, then they need to stay in at break time to do it (they also run sessions after school for some children where they do this work then).