Homework state vs private

[Tistheseason2025]

Our primary school doesn’t set homework at all. We are expected to read and practise timestables, but that is it until they start senior school in Year 7.

Is this the same for those with children in the independent sector? It seems like secondary school will be a big shock to the system and I’d be interested to hear what other children are doing.

My kids are at state and the primary school has a no homework policy. My daughter is s2 and has regular homework and assessments and is doing brilliantly well with it. I was worried about it too but she’s had no issues getting it done and being (mostly) organised about it. High school is so different in every way I suppose this is just one more difference so not a huge shock.

Our and her friends in private have had homework this whole time. Am sure that affects something later but so far it just meant that our weekends were less stressful. Depends so much on the personality of your child.

It depends on the primary, my state primary sets an excessive amount of homework.

My kids had quite a bit at private primary. They were in school 8.40 - 4.30. I thought the homework excessive, unnecessary and frequently just busy work. Some teachers privately agreed but it was the school policy and some parents thought their kids didn’t get enough!

Our kids didn't get much homework at their private prep school. DS1 now at private indie and only year 11 has the homework picked up!
DS2 at state grammar gets loads of homework. 1.5hrs a night in year 7. I'm a fan of homework but I think it's too much. It was more than the private indie in year 10..

Research shows that there is little benefit to homework at primary school level. It certainly shouldn’t be more than 30 mins in total, practising arithmetic and phonics/spellings.

A lot of private school prep is to satisfy parents, rather than providing academic benefit.

We only ever had phonics practice- one ditty to be read everyday. Then they asked that you read to them at bedtime which I do anyway. My eldest was totally fine at secondary. They go easy on them in year 7 ime unless it’s a super strict academy

My girls never really had homework at primary. Reading, spelling practice etc yes but not worksheets or similar.

They managed the transition to Secondary fine. Same as they managed having to remember to take different stuff on different days, move classrooms, different teachers, different journey, their own choice of after school activities. They are developmentally ready at that age for more responsibility.

Both my DCs previous state primary school and current private prep had homework.
State was reading, then from Y2 spellings, from Y3 Times tables (always on TT rock stars), Maths from Y5 and English in Y6. It was messaged to parents on a Friday and had to be completed by the following Friday. There was no consequences for not doing it and apart from spellings it was always on an app.

Their current school they have homework every night which is due back the following day. There is a timetable of which days are maths and which are English. On average each piece takes about 15 minutes and is all on paper. Although there is more at the private school we have had less arguments about it. If they don't complete it they have to complete it at lunch time.

My eldest is currently planning on taking the 11+ for the state grammar where they will get 7-8 hours a week so I am hoping having to do homework every day will help with that transition.

Very little at state. My child transferred to a prep in year 5 and got the shock of her life. 1 hour a night across two subjects with a rest day. A term in and she’s used to it and in the swing and in some ways I think the transition to secondary will be easier.

My child has 20-30mins homework a week in a state primary (Y6). It’s not a lot! And many kids are behind in maths, spelling etc so I don’t understand why they don’t give more. She is moving to a private secondary where expected homework is 1 hour each day.
my friend’s children at a London private school have lots of homework in primary school and her Y5 child has lots of tests too.