Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Education

Join the discussion on our Education forum.

Flip

1 2 3

Original poster

I'm too lazy to send my son to private school...

52 replies

Reallytired · 22/12/2008 19:35

My son has a little friend in his street who attends a private school three miles away. The little boy is six years old. It takes about 20 minutes to get to the school.

He has to be there by 8.15 and his school day finishes at 3.45. After that he does after school club until 6pm. After that the little boy has to do one to two hours of homework a night. His parents who are keen to get him ahead academically also make him do Kip MaGrath tutoring on a Saturday morning. They are a lovely family and their boy is really well mannered.

I just wonder where private school parents or their children get the stamina to cope.

OP posts:

LadyLauraStandish · 22/12/2008 19:37

I sometimes feel this way!!!

Mine have a 20 min journey and a school day that runs from 8.15am to 4pm then homework on top. But they really like school so I just put up with it.

Fivesetsofschoolfees · 22/12/2008 19:37

When you say that you are too lazy, do you want to do what your neighbours do, but just can't be bothered?

Twenty minutes isn't a huge commute.

TheSeriousSanta · 22/12/2008 19:41

My DSDs do this, though without the 'commute' but they walk to school, which takes at least 15 minutes.

They are at school until 3:45 (little one) and 4:15 (elder one) and then do activities each night. They also get home work most nights.

They have sports practice at the school on Saturdays (and often matches too),

BUT they get GREAT holidays which leaves time to relax.

Ds is already signed up for the same school.

LadyMuck · 22/12/2008 19:43

Pretty unusual I think.

The dcs are meant to be at a hothouse. They do start at 8.15 but at 6 would finish by 3, though if parents work there is a play-based afterschool club on site. Homework is rarely more than 10 minutes once or twice a week plus reading, timestables and spellings.

I can't think of any preprep which would advocate a 6yo doing 1-2 hours a day if they are in afterschool club. At ours, if a boy is particularly struggling then the head will have a word with the parents and has been known to suggest childminder/nanny rather than afterschool club.

Whereabouts is the school? Is there any chance that the parents might possibly be exaggerating the amount of time that it takes for homework?

GrimmaTheNome · 22/12/2008 19:43

Ah, but... if your child has a longer school day and after-school activities, it gives you a longer childfree interval between the school runs. Much easier than having a short day and kids around wanting to be entertained all afternoon.

Just wondering hw 3 miles takes 20 mins... they are walking^? I suppose that's not lazy.

LadyLauraStandish · 22/12/2008 19:45

It does seem a lot for a 6 year old - mine are older.

chocolatedot · 22/12/2008 19:57

I've never ever heard of a 6 year old being given 1 -2 hours a homework per day. Also, every pre prep that I know that does after school club, does the homework as part of the club.

TheSeriousSanta · 22/12/2008 20:01

oh yes agree with Chocodot - homework is done at after school club.... but if the kids do sports, then it needs to be done at home...

ot a couple of hours per night...

Original poster

Reallytired · 22/12/2008 20:41

They aren't lazy as a family. The journey can take 20 minutes because they have to go across town in the rush hour.

As I understand the little boy does quite a lot of sport and music after school.

I am pleased for him as he is thriving at his school. I do wonder where they get the stamina. My son's state school is only two minutes walk.

OP posts:

findtheriver · 22/12/2008 21:17

I wouldn't want a six year old doing that much homework a night tbh.
If a child is enjoying school and using their time productively, then at this age they should be playing/relaxing/learning to be self reliant.
Unfortunately some private schools give masses of homework which isn't necessarily inspiring or even useful - it can be just churning out work using skills they have already acquired and honed. But when parents are paying, they like to feel they are getting their money's worth.

bloss · 22/12/2008 21:22

Message withdrawn

MollieO · 22/12/2008 21:56

Sounds like a huge amount of homework for that age. We have a 10 min commute unless roads are icey and I can't take the short cut through the woods in which case it can take 30 mins. My ds does 8am to 6pm school (before and after school care). He is upset on the days he doesn't go to before school care (when I drop him at usual school start time 8.50am) and I have to usually drag him out of after school care. He has reading and writing homework four nights a week (although Friday's gets done over the weekend so in fact homework on 3 school nights). He is 4.5.

I school I'm considering for when he is older does not set any homework and it is one of the top prep schools. Not sure I'm in favour of homework tbh. We do it but the rest of the time I let my ds lead, eg he asked me to get him a numbers workbook to do over the holidays!

MollieO · 22/12/2008 21:57

Should add that my former childminder told me about one of her new charges today who is just turned 4 and does Kumon maths twice a week. That seems honestly mad to me

MollieO · 22/12/2008 22:00

Should also add that my ds doesn't do his homework at asc as they are too busy to spend individual time with the children. When he gets to year 2 he will do after school activities before after school club and will then get the choice of attending a homework club where teachers supervise homework. I can't wait as I'd still collect him at the same time I do now but won't have to worry about getting home and supervising homework

mummyloveslucy · 22/12/2008 22:04

I think it's way too much for a 6 year old.
You can still have good manners and go to a state school, I'm very strict on that with my daughter.

amber2 · 22/12/2008 22:07

It seems exaggerated - but if it's true the poor mite risks being burned out by the time he's 9 or 10 ! It must leave little time for imaginary free play which is believe is also vital at this age.

My DS in Yr 1 is at a selective academic orientated pre-prep but which also focuses on the creative /drama etc. - - but they don't encourage more than two after school clubs a week and although there is after school care til 6 they try to discourage that also as they start at 8:30 so they see it already as a long day.

I think my DS has more homework than most schools - it is is approx. 30 -40 minutes reading a day (2 books or 3/4 at the weekend) and spelling test once a week but that's pretty much it. And that's hard to fit that in sometimes by the time he's done his after school club (he actually does 3), then he has to have some chill time where he makes up his own games, runs round the house and lets off steam, before he does his homework, has his dinner and bath etc. He would just not have the attention span to do 1-2 hours homework after an intense school day at this age and would resent the lack of play time.

chocolatedot · 23/12/2008 09:32

Struggle to believe any school would approve a homework schedule like that for a 6 year old. After all, if he's finishing club at 6pm, allowinng for a commute, bath and supper + 2 hours of home work, would mean bed time of 9.30pm at the earliest. All sounds highly unlikely.

abraid · 23/12/2008 09:43

Gosh, even my 11-year old at an academic prep school has NEVER been given two hours homework.

LIZS · 23/12/2008 09:45

If he is taking that long to do "homework" I wonder if the parents aren't loading more on or he is struggling . dc do a long day and we did have a 25 min commute when they started (at 4 and 7) - we'd leave at 7.55 latest to arrive for ds' start time - but homework even at Year3 was no more than 20-30 minutes. Now we live 2 mins away or it wodul be very complicated. We'd always tried to keep weekends clear of formal stuff until dd started dancing .

PortAndStilton · 23/12/2008 10:07

DS will be going to a private school next year. It's ten minutes' walk away, the school day isn't anything like 8.15-3.45, there's no school at all on Friday afternoons (granted that brings its own set of practical problems) and there's only very limited homework.

findtheriver · 23/12/2008 10:11

No school on Friday afternoons?! Is that so everyone can make an early getaway to the weekend retreat??!

PortAndStilton · 23/12/2008 10:21

No, it's because they think that five full days is often too much for infant-aged children. I don't think it's a "weekend retreat" sort of a place (there are far more socially and academically exclusive schools in the area).

LynetteScavo · 23/12/2008 10:24

I too am too lazy to send my DC's to private school.

It started when I was was at school myself, and couldn't be arsed to work hard enough to get myself enough qualifications to get a job that would pay enough for me to send my DC's to private shcool now.

Also I can't be arsed to drag them to tutoring - I've tried it but was a bloody pain with two other DC's in tow - have done Kumon twice a week (waste of time) and have decided if I send DS1 to a comp rather than coach him for the grammar he will have less homework, and I won't have to nag him so much.

I can feel Xenia looking sternly at me as I type.

On the other hand, my children spend a lot of time playing outside, and eating healthy food, so they might grow up to be healthy and happy.

findtheriver · 23/12/2008 10:26

LOL Lynette.

It all gets a bit silly doesn't it?
93% of children ate state educated, so chances are they'll grow up nice and normal and happy and healthy!!

findtheriver · 23/12/2008 10:27

ate state educated? WHoops

Flip

1 2 3