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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

DS (5) getting 6 peices of homework a week....a bit much????

37 replies

sugarbea · 14/10/2010 13:38

DS comes home with 2 seperate peices of maths home work, spellings (test every friday) a reading book (for him to read alone), 4 literacy woorksheets (double sided) and some sort of art thing as well as a library book that must be added into his reading diary.
I don't know about him but i'm finding it hard to keep up. He's 5 and is doing very well with his work at school and started off quite willing to do homework because it made him feel like a big boy..But i think the novelty is starting to wear off.
Having spoken to friends with other children his age they don't get half the work he does, but he does seem to be a lot more confident academically and the school does have very good results.
Am I wrong in thinking it's a bit much?

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NoahAndTheWhale · 14/10/2010 13:41

That does sound quite a bit.

DS is in Year 2 and has a piece of homework on Fridays, to be back by Wednesday, reading books that are changed when he has finished them (but not with any pressure), spelling test on Fridays (first year of having that) and that is all.

paddingtonbear1 · 14/10/2010 13:43

Blimey! It does seem a bit much. dd's old school were very academic and hot on homework, but even she never got this much! dd would never have managed this at 5. In fact, I don't think she'd manage it now, at 7!

thisisyesterday · 14/10/2010 13:43

blimey, yes that does sound a lot.
ds1 has a book which he changes once he has read it, and one other piece of homework per week!

nameymcnamechange · 14/10/2010 13:46

Yes, I think that is a horrific amount of homework for a child in reception. I would be desperately unhappy if my little children were at a school that expected them to do this much work.

phipps · 14/10/2010 13:47

Is he reception or year one?

My son is year one and has a reading book that he can change whenever he wants and that is it in terms of homework.

In year 2 they still have a reading book but start having spelling tests.

In year 3 they have their reading books, spellings to learn and sentences to write out and then DD has a sheet of maths to do too.

dietcokeandwine · 14/10/2010 13:49

In a word - no! It sounds horrendous. Is he Y1 or reception? Reading book, spellings and library book are probably par for the course, plus perhaps one or two other pieces of homework per week. But not the volumes you're talking about. Two lots of maths plus four literacy worksheets? Every week? And an art project as well? Your poor little boy (and poor you, having to get him to do it all). It would be really sad if his enthusiasm for learning was ruined by school just pushing too much too soon.

FWIW DS, in Y1, would have 2 reading books and 2library book home each week, plus one other piece of homework which would be either literacy or numeracy based but not both in the one week. I think the general homework guideline for KS1 children is about an hour per week.

I am presuming that your DS is either at a private school or at a very academically focused state school, but either way you are not at all wrong in thinking it's a bit much! What do other parents in your DS's class think?

Ghoulysses · 14/10/2010 13:50

YANBU and I can sympathise.

DD is 4, in primary 1 (in Scotland) and this week has

a list of words to read
a book to read
numbers to write out
3 worksheets with words to find and letters to write out, and pictures to colour in
and to draw the cover of a fairy story

The other weekend we spent three days make a bloody 3d castle

I personally think it's a much.

Original poster

sugarbea · 14/10/2010 13:50

I thought so. He's not struggling but I dont want him to go off work all together because he's overloaded with it. He has been doing it all day at school and they definately haven't adopted the learn through play attitude at the school..(apart from playtimes they get 30 minutes of "golden time" if they are good throughout the day but they spend the rest at their desks)He also seems to be becoming a bit of a perfectionist..For example if he doesn't feel his handwriting is neat enough he feels he has to re do it so the teacher will like it..And it has to be in cursive...(which frustrates me because I cant remember the las time i picked up a book and it was in curslive!!!)
I also got a bollocking from my son because i had forgotten to send in his reading diary and he had got into trouble for it...(bad mum :( must get myself a homework calendar>>>>>lol

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Original poster

sugarbea · 14/10/2010 13:55

He is in year 1

Dietcokeandwine....he's at state school. Literally the closest one. It does produce good results but i think they lack a bit of fun... for example ds did not have one school trip last year.:( but there is a new head this year and she doesnt seem so mean.

OP posts:

phipps · 14/10/2010 13:56

I have a chart on the wall listing what each child has to hand in each day and it really helps.

IndigoBell · 14/10/2010 14:13

The danger of going to a school with good league table results. :)

I have learnt to avoid 'good schools' like the plague.

BellasFormerFriend · 14/10/2010 14:23

I know I am in a minority but I strongly believe that, at this age, school work is for school time - with the exception of a reading book and some spellings. There is no cirriculum reason for primary children to need homework and any school giving out this much is obviously failing to get the correct amount of work done in the day - or has no concept of the importance of down time for children to learn effectivly.

I have had this out with my school and they are well aware that I will roast anyone who tells one of my children off for not doing homework. After a bit of toing and froing they now offer all the children the option of doing the homework sheets in spare class time. Almost all of the children do this and get to have happy child time in the evenings. I am a mother, not an unpaid teacher and my children are children not robots gearing up for the 9-5 from the age of 5!

The amount your ds is getting is silly and I would be very concerned that he will get fed up with it all very quickly - I know I would if I was expected to take work home with me every day and use up my free time to do it!

BellasFormerFriend · 14/10/2010 14:24

Oops, should have posted a rant alert, sorry

MollieO · 14/10/2010 14:27

Ds last year in year 1 (private school) had a new reading book every day and a spelling test once a week.

This year (yr 2) he has new reading book every day, spelling test once a week, one maths homework, one writing homework.

One of the leading prep schools near here has a no homework policy. Very tempted to move ds but can't afford the fees.

wigglesrock · 14/10/2010 14:29

My dd is in P2 (age 5) in NI, she gets a reading book a week with a piece of associated homework, eg change words in a sentence to make a question. She also gets about 3 other pieces of homework, matching up words/letters etc. No spellings here yet, thank God I still remember my own personal torment with "elephant"

She gets all homework home on a Mon, and everything has to be back on Fri morn, can be a push for us as she's still in bed for 7pm, and can't concentrate past 5ish!!

Lovecat · 14/10/2010 14:31

I posted about this the other week - DD goes to a private school (purely because they are the closest Catholic one and they offer wraparound care) and it seemed to be the opinion that this was par for the course.

I've spoken to the teacher and we have parent's evening next week so it will be interesting to see how that goes - I've written in her book that she is often too tired to do hw (I don't get to pick her up til 5.30 most nights) but we will do what we can, when we can.

She's been hw-phobic from day 1, however, and will scream, howl, throw herself about rather than sit and do it. Quite often when we read the sheet, it's actually an activity that's rather fun, but the fact it's seen as "homework" makes her rebel against it. She's only 5 :(

If I didn't have to work I'd seriously consider home-edding...

minimathsmouse · 14/10/2010 14:35

My DS is 5 and in yr 1 and has no homework sent home. He has a reading book which is changed everyday some weeks and other weeks not at all.

I would be happy if he had homework instead of the list of targets for the term. The targets are sent home at the start of the term and they are a general thing for all of the DC. The school request your help, they don't give you any idea what you could be doing with your child. It would perhaps be fairer and more equitable if they set homework.

MollieO · 14/10/2010 14:41

The homework ds gets is so inconsequential I don't see how it actually adds to his learning. I think it is more for parents to see what their children can and can't do.

Ds refuses to do his homework and his teacher has told me not to bother to make him. She said he can do it at break time instead. Having tried that once and not seen any change in ds's homework interest I've refused to allow them to keep him in at break.

Rainbowbubbles · 14/10/2010 14:44

Blimey that does sound like a lot! What schools also need to remember is that not all parents can be home before 6pm and that not all parents have just 1 child. If you had 2 or 3 children with this amount of homework you wouldn't be able to do it and make dinner and sort out other stuff or just sit and have a cuddle and relax.

My dd goes to a prep school and the teacher did say that if the child is too tired or just needs a break and time with parents then that is very important and that we musn't make force them too much.

She is in y1 and has a reading book, library book, weekly spelling test, sience project and literacy but it can be done over the space of a week which isn't too bad. If she's tired or feeling poorly then we just don't do it and she still gets top marks and loves school and homework. They need a balance they are still so very young.

emy72 · 14/10/2010 15:00

Gosh that's a hell of a lot.

My kids are at a top state school with the best results in the region and my DD1 in Y1 gets no homework - apart from 1 or 2 reading books a week. I've heard they get more though in Y2.

I would hate for her to get so much tbh.

Do they HAVE TO do it all?

sarahfreck · 14/10/2010 15:39

Could you ...
Put maths and literacy sheets in a folder when they arrive. Get DS to spend a bit of time each week(max 15 mins each subject) on "whatever is next" in the folder and take in a sheet when he has finished it rather than trying to do it all every week.
Obviously explain what you are intending to do to teacher - maybe put it in terms of tiredness and what you feel he can manage without being overfaced or put off working. If possible get his teacher to explain to him that it is OK to do it all more slowly so he doesn't panic!
Then just do reading and spelling practice on top. That would sound like plenty to me for Y1.

Original poster

sugarbea · 14/10/2010 15:44

emy72 they are expected to do it all!
Teacher makes a poit of asking children where a particular piece of work is..

It would be easier (for me) if they got it all on monday then i could spread it through out the week..The spellings are friday for monday, maths tuesday for thursday, one book is tuesday to tuesday, the other is thrusday to monday, the diary is 2 days a week, the literacy is checked daily and i cant even remember about the art anymore...I just put it all in the bookbag and hope for the best...

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Original poster

sugarbea · 14/10/2010 15:46

*thursday

I'm making up days now just to fit it all in.lol

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Bonsoir · 14/10/2010 15:46

That sounds a lot.

My DD is 5, nearly 6, and gets between 1 and 3 pages of reading practice per night (four nights) and a poem to learn by heart (about 16 lines) every fortnight.

simpson · 14/10/2010 17:41

It does sound a lot, I thought my DS (yr 1) got too much...

He gets the usual reading book every week, a library book he chooses, 20 spellings and a maths worksheet.

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