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Original poster

Banning Homework ?

43 replies

Fridayfeeling · 11/03/2008 21:24

I read today that homework may be banned for primary children. Where do I place my YES vote?

It is futile, obnoxious and stressful to give a child aged 5 homework. Just perpetuates the 'loss of childhood' that everyone moans about.............let them be kids.

OP posts:

edam · 11/03/2008 22:45

obviously I should concentrate harder on my spellings, then I might post 'think' not 'thing'.

borofudge · 11/03/2008 23:10

A definite yes from me too. It is difficult trying to find time to fit it all in. Then at weekends, as I work all week, would like to spend more time at the park/swimming etc.Dd1 is Year 6 and studying for SATS, very scary. She has learning difficuties and is under a HUGE amount of pressure.

Nighbynight · 11/03/2008 23:16

banning homework would almost be enough to tempt me back to the UK.
Chidlren would never forgive me staying in germany, if they discovered that there was no homework back in blighty.

Homework is a curse on our family. Ive just sent 10 yr old ds to bed at 10 pm, without his b**y hw even finished, but at least we'd done the most important bits. Too difficult to do alone, naturally.

TsarChasm · 11/03/2008 23:17

And me.

Especially holiday project type homework for 6/7 yr olds. Ridiculous. Dd had to do one once and she was only home for a week at half term.

The teacher never even asked to look at it. Well actually she did look at it because I wrote a rather unfriendly note about setting homework and then ignoring it..

stuffitllama · 11/03/2008 23:24

ggrr you are all so right

it's not the spellings and tables, it's all the other projects and internet research and posters about the rainforest and rewrite this newspaper article as if it happened to you..

yes, ban it except for reading and practising the basics

tired, no punctuation but agree with you all

CowsGoMoo · 12/03/2008 09:06

My ds(age 8 yr4) has 10 mins of prep a night. It is always on the subject they have studied that day in class and is supposed to just show how much of the lesson actually went in! If they have trouble then his teacher knows to go over the topic again.

He has never had any work come home (yet) that involves us visiting libraries, researching, doing projects that needs to involve me.

He also does reading every night, most often half an hour at bedtime in bed (but doesnt read to me as such anymore) and we do our timestables in the car on the way to school, tescos etc (singing along to the most annoying cd in the world - but he knows them all perfectly now so a great fun way to do it!)

I like how prep is done at his school, nice amount of time (10mins is not all evening)and is reinforcing what he learnt in the day.

I have no probs with homework if it is relevant, short amount of work is required and doesnt need me to do it.

CGM x

FluffyMummy123 · 12/03/2008 09:09

Message withdrawn

stuffitllama · 12/03/2008 09:11

cows.. that sounds just about right to me

taipo · 12/03/2008 09:24

I remember doing some hw in Y6, maybe once a week to prepare us for the shock of daily homework at secondary school. I'm pretty sure there was nothing before that.
I hate it that my dd gets up to an hour every day which usually takes a lot longer because her mind is on other things and can't concentrate. It nearly ruined our relationship last year.

Buda · 12/03/2008 09:25

We have just had 'ishoos' with homework for DS too. He is in Yr 2. They get a book every night IF you sign they have read it with you. That's fine. On Monday last week they were given 10 pages of a mix of maths and literacy to be done by Friday. On Tuesday they get spellings to be tested on Friday.

I was peeved to say the least and was about to canvas opinions from other parents and talk to the teacher when I realised it was parent/teacher meeting week. So I left it. Obv lots of parents mentioned it - so this week we got 4 pages and it has to be in by Monday. Much better!

I don't have a problem with reading, spelling and times tables. I don't even have a problem with them doing one page a night. Any more I have a HUGE problem with.

squilly · 13/03/2008 00:36

I don't think you need homework for very young children (ie 5-8 year olds). You can teach them a lot of the basics by stealth...playing games and letting them play on the BBC education websites.

Why fill their plates with homework. It comes soon enough at secondary school.

And I agree that it pushes the wrong kind of values at our kids sometimes. You've got to do this to be better...better...better. Keep up. Who's best...

No wonder you have alpha mums who stress their kids out with flash cards from 3 months old instead of enjoying the carefree days of babyhood/toddlerdom/childhood (oh no...ignorance showing...used a word that's not real and probably spelled it wrong too).

foofi · 13/03/2008 03:49

At secondary school I was TERRIBLE at homework - had no discipline and never got it done. My own kids have done homework every night since an early age and I'm hoping that they have it in their psyche now and will cope better at secondary level.

UnderRated · 13/03/2008 04:53

As a teacher, I think this is a great idea. Finding suitable & doable homework for English, Maths & Science each week, photocopying, explaining, handing it out, getting it written down then collecting, marking, going over it, talking with parents, chasing up kids who hadn't done it etc was an infuriating waste of time and resources.

If all parents read with their children, practised spellings and basic mental arithmetic, it would be much better. Sadly, some parents don't do any of these things. Ever

stuffitllama · 13/03/2008 08:35

underrated -- are you required to give it out? what would happen if you didn't?

UnderRated · 13/03/2008 18:43

Stuffit, I was required to set that homework - it was stated it the school's homework policy and was expected by other teachers, the Head and the governors. I am not sure what would have happened if I hadn't set it but on the few occasions when I didn't set any, I had parents coming in wanting to know why.

I would rather have been able to set interesting homework as and when appropriate rather than contrived worksheets or tasks because it was expected. I think that would have been far more beneficial.

stuffitllama · 13/03/2008 23:45

Thanks UR.. I do hate those photocopied sheets and mass produced projects. I did think teachers' hands were tied -- now I know.

smartiejake · 14/03/2008 10:43

I work with deaf children and sometimes set them a talking homework where they have to discuss various "what would happen if" situations with someone at home. Parents just have to sign the sheet to say they have done it. Some of the parents really like this as there is less pressure to write anything down and can be done any where ;in the car/ at the dinner table. etc Also helps to encourage thinking and reasoning skills (and encourage parents to TALK to their children!)

Miggsie · 14/03/2008 14:44

I never had homework till I was 11 and went to secondary school.
My friends DS had homework the other day of making a Tutenkhamum mask...which his mother made is it was beyond him.
This teaches the child nothing and just lets everyone know whose mother can make masks best.
If my child was asked to do something that was beyond them like this I would just send a note to the teacher saying it was unsuitable and refuse to do it.
No surprises I have chosen a school that does not set homework!

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