Poland's homework ban

[cornflakecrunchie]

What do you think?
I'm all for it!

Only if they compensate with longer school days. ;)

This makes sense to help people who are affected by distractions at how - or who don't have the ability to manage their own studying schedule.

I would have been all for it before my 2dc started school. I now really support age appropriate levels of homework from the start of education. I now appreciate the way homework gives me a better window into what my children are learning and helps me identify where they need additional support. I would also rather my dc do the solo practice / consolidation work at home and spend their time at school doing more interactive elements, including more play time and movement breaks.

our school gives loads of downtime during the school day, though (lots of extracurricular lessons like pe and art, longer than usual lunch and play breaks), so not as intense while in school / not as frazzled when they get home. Totally understand that some children are fried at the end of a school day + after school care and are too tired for the homework to have much impact

The new regulation in Poland pertains to ages 7-9, whereas between the ages of 10 and 14, homework will be given but is not going to be compulsory.
In a similar vein, up to age 11 in the UK, there is no mandatory homework. However, in the UK, all children commence school at approximately 8:30-9 am and finish at 15-15:30 pm, allowing ample time during school hours to complete all necessary coursework. Infant schools (4-7 yrs ) encourage reading at home, while Juniors (8-11 yrs old) focus on reading and times tables exclusively.
In Poland, children aged 7-10 spend 3-5 hours at school. I am uncertain how they envision covering the curriculum without reading at home or learning times tables.
This is likely to impact overall progress, and I anticipate the PISA exam will reflect a decline in Poland's standings in the exam results.

Exactly, you are very much right. But I am afraid they will not compensate it with longer days at school because of the scarcity of places in Polish schools. Some 7-10 years old kids go to the morning "shift" e.g. 9-12 and some 12-3 pm

@SmileWhileYouStillHaveTeeth That's sad. The children don't realise they are being robbed of developing future potential.

Wow I didn't realise it was common to only have a 3hour school day. That must impact on childcare. And results surely? Or are the homeschoolers right that school can be condensed....

But came on as yes I'd support a homework ban in primary aside from reading.

My children's otherwise lovely primary school started doing detentions for lack of homework which always made me sad as it's not really within the child's control..

It wouldn't necessarily impact on exam outcomes if the teaching and learning engagement is of high quality. The learning requirements for any subject at GCSE level is very basic for all subjects compared to the bigger picture. For example, KS3 maths is given 3 years, and then is mostly repeated at GCSE level for the final 2 years. All of the curriculum could be covered in 2 years or even one year with a good teacher and maximum engagement from the student. This is why you have children as young as 5 passing GCSE maths.

Hmm I think that's assuming a very bright and very motivated cohort. Not the average school.

There have been systematic reviews of the impact of homework on attainment. Generally it's been found that it:
a) makes no difference in primary
b) does have a positive effect in secondary.
So a policy that bans homework at lower primary ages but allows it from age 10 or 11 is entirely sound and evidence-based.

The ‘children pass maths age 5’ also assumes they only work on a few subjects at that intensity, and is only ever maths. No one passes gcse art or English age 5.

There is absolutely no need for homework at primary school. Good on Poland.

The time at school extends with the age but at the age described here as KS1 it ranges 3 - 4 hours on average. KS2 bit longer and from around age of 13-14 it is similar to UK

Ah that's not so bad. So ks1is a bit like a continuation of preschool hours. I'd have liked that I. Principle as the day was exhausting for my kids and would have been fab to emphasise play and running around educationally at that age. Childcare would be an issue if you have both parents working though. In an ideal world I'd have loved this and less work!

@Leonab
It wouldn't necessarily impact on exam outcomes if the teaching and learning engagement is of high quality.
You made me smile,Leonlab. All over the world kids are the same 😄. And the level of engagement remains similar. There are kids heavly involved, and more selective schools and there are "absolute lazy slackers".

The learning requirements for any subject at GCSE level is very basic for all subjects compared to the bigger picture.

We are talking here about Poland and in Poland there is no such thing as GCSE. The first very formal exam is at the same age as A- levels. It is called Matura in Poland, in Germany Abitur. It is slightly different than A- levels and reminds more IB exams which you can take in Uk instead of A levels.

You are right but only assuming that kids go to school 9-3 pm. In Poland they have at that age lessons 9-12 or 12-3pm There is no time much for reading I am afraid ...

In most schools in Poland, there is wraparound care, akin to an afternoon hub (known as 'Świetlica' in Polish). The cost is not very high and is free for some. However, there is also a slightly different cultural approach, with grandmothers playing a significant role in raising their grandchildren.😉

That sounds brilliant from a child devilment perspective. Much more play at a young age!

Totally anecdotal but the various Polish people I have worked closely with have had a MUCH better school education than if they were in the U.K., (many more languages, much better grounding in sciences, etc) so they must be doing something right.

@thinkofnewname Some children are academically gifted, but this is only a small part of the picture. If anything, I believe that being academically gifted can be a disadvantage without the right support to realise their full potential. That is, children who find learning too easy never get the opportunity to learn the resilience and discipline to overcome challenges - and then find it difficult to translate their academic abilities to employment, etc.

The average child may not be able to pass GCSE maths at age 5, but they could achieve it a lot earlier than 16 if there was the political will and personal motivation. For most people, the maths curriculum is taught in a way that's unnecessarily over complicated. For example, fractions, ratio, percentages and pie charts are all taught as separate topics based on memorisation of formulas - when they can be learnt as one concept without needing to memorise any formula. These topics could be mastered in just a couple of days instead of spending weeks / months on them like many schools do.

@PinkMildred That is true. It shows how easy maths is compared to more abstract subjects.

@SmileWhileYouStillHaveTeeth Kids are the same, yet different. Those who do well in the education system are already motivated to do well. Those who don't do well need a different form of motivation. A problem with a lot of teaching is the refusal to consider how motivation should be part of the teaching strategy. Maths should never be about memorising formulas and focusing on numbers - in the same way that English should never be about memorising poetry quotes and focusing on the alphabet.

The school day increases as the child grows. So it might be 4 hours at 6, but by high school it's 6/7 and towards the end of it 7/8. First year is massively focused on fine motor skills/handwriting, maths and reading/writing. Things get added as the children grow. Lessons are usually 50 mins long with a 10 minute break in between. Primary is a lot longer though(8 years total lower and higher)they finish at 14 with a big test and then high school for another 4 years.

I was educated in a similar system. We learned A LOT. Including a second language(English) fluently.

Kids are the same, yet different. Those who do well in the education system are already motivated to do well. Those who don't do well need a different form of motivation. A problem with a lot of teaching is the refusal to consider how motivation should be part of the teaching strategy.

@Leonab please note the context- we are talking about Poland. Kids in Poland are not different than in UK and represent the same level and diversity in motivation as in UK.

Yes I know a Polish family (easy going/adore their child) who were horrified at the lack of academic standards in year one of their child’s outstanding UK primary school. They told me they are doing lots of additional work in the evenings as there is no homework!!

Yes, totally anecdotal.
btw. I am Polish.It is not true that in Poland all people speak foreign languages fluently just because they learn it at school. Many kids are heavily tutored in English from an early age. Some choose a secondary school with an expanded English or German language curriculum: 6 hours per week instead of 2. But this is only a handful.
But in general, the level of languages is no different than in the UK: 2-3 hours per week. Hardly a way to become fluent. And trust me, the majority of Polish people are not fluent. They are not even at an intermediate level. I have two nieces who were really good at school. Their command of English and German is rather poor.

I am not horrified at all. It all depends on which primary school they send their kid to. My son is y6. State school recently marked as Good and before it was Outstanding. There has always been a lot to read and times tables given by the school here: Time Table Rockstars, Mathletics, Spelling Shed, doing times tables in the Home School Diary, spelling book exercises... This is all homework over the last years. At school they also do a lot. Now they sent us sheets to do in preparation to SATS.
I have no complaints. The peers in Poland are not as advanced in maths and at the age of 11 they only start writing stories. Here they started 3 years ago.

I suspect they have their kids in Reception or up to year 2. There is much less happening at that age. ( Well, in Poland kids go to school from the age of 7... :))) ) From Year 3 it will change and they will be very busy