Homework, grammar schools, entrance exams etc

[sykes]

The below is a question, not supposed to be inflamatory.
I went to a standard junior school, went to grammar and then to a good university. My sister went to Cambridge, with the same background. I never, ever, remember homework, being coached, help from my parents. I am not particularly bright, so what has changed?

The whole thing about schools

You didn't get homework at secondary school? I certainly did (bog standard comp).

I said junior schools.

Then, no one else was coached either, so bing brighter than the others you got into the grammer school. Now parents realise other children are being coached, they don't want their child to be disadvantaged.

Competition as everyone wants to go to university now.

Also parents now don't wnat their kids going to crap school,wheras a generation ago parents were'nt as well informed about schools/league tables etc .

Oh. don't start me - I could rant for Britain on this subject!

Same here (except I probably did used to be quite bright before DD nicked half my braincells). Primary school the only homework was reading. Secondary school there certainly was homework but I never had help from my parents (purposely on my part, because they were teachers and I wanted to avoid anyone saying oh daddy helped you).

I think the current trend towards expecting parents to help with homework is not good. Its very hard luck on those with parents who are, for whatever reason unwilling or unable to help. Doubly advantages the ones with engaged parents.

Apart from reading up to the point where they really can read for themselves, I think homework should be tasks which the child can accomplish independently. Without access to a computer, ideally.

DD2 gets a ridiculous amount of homework much of which is stuff she has not covered in class and so WE have to teach it to them.

Re homework and course work- when I did my GCEs we had no course work just exams. Now kids can get large percentages of their grades through course work which may have been done by their parents/ cribbed off the internet/ marked by teachers and "improved".
Bring back exam only courses and then we'll see who has really been doing the work.

I too remember no homework whatsoever from primary school.
We had to learn times tables and spellings, but that was all.
We didn't even bring reading books home. (I didn't start til 5 though, and could already read, so maybe that's why.)

IME Many schools/teachers/parents treat primary school h/w as optional with no/few consequences. So the only thing children learn at primary school re h/w is bad habits!

My bro went to a secondary with a no homework policy (c. 78-85). He's now a consultant surgeon.