Homework at primary - how much? Too much?

[GrumpyGit]

Dd is in yr2 and gets what seems to be an average amount of homework compared with my friends kids - i.e. each week she gets spellings/other English homework, a reading book, some maths. I thought it was quite a lot at the beginning of term, but as she's usually happy to do it and everyone says it's a normal amount these days I've not thought much about it since.

Last week we had one of those nightmare weeks where everyone (other than dd) was ill, both dh & I, plus the 2 ds were up in the night (you might've seen my other thread about the vomit) - anyway, just a week of surviving and the English homework got overlooked.

The note the teacher has written in the homework book irritated me a bit and got me thinking again - when I was a kid I first got homework aged 11 just before starting secondary - is it just me or do other people think there seems to be an unreasonably large amount of homework for kids to do at a very young age these days? And is it actually helpful to them in the long term?

PS I deliberately didn't post this in aibu btw!

Ds (yr 2) gets one or two reading books every day, spellings for a test once a week, handwriting practice (A4 sheet) to complete over a week, maths worksheet.

I think all of it is utterly pointless. It isn't enough to make a difference to his learning. I think it is done for parents' benefit.

Some of my parent friends think it is important to get dcs into the 'habit' of doing homework and therefore approve of it.

I didn't have any homework to do in primary school. I went to a very academic secondary school (selective grammar). I didn't struggle to get into the habit of doing homework as doing it wasn't an option (detention). I also understood the point of doing it. I'm not sure my 6 yr old does and neither do I for his age.

The last government (David Blunkett) set out exactly how much homework should be set for each year group

Years 1 and 2 -1 hour/week (reading, spellings, other literacy work
and number work)
Years 3 and 4 -1.5 hours/week (literacy and numeracy as for Years 1 and 2
with occasional assignments in other
subjects)
Years 5 and 6 30 minutes/day (regular weekly schedule with continued emphasis on literacy and numeracy but also ranging widely over the curriculum)
As noted in paragraph 20, the daily reading which the Government recommends for all
children can, of course, be done as part of homework. On days when the homework activity
is something other than reading children should be encouraged, in addition, to read on
their own or with others for at least 20 minutes (less for infants).

mrz what is the benefit of doing homework? Genuine question.

I visited a leading prep (7-13 ages) open day. The HT made the point that they do not set homework. The day length is no longer than other schools but the expectation is the children leave at the end of the day and enjoy their free time as they wish.

Ahhh, thanks for that mrz - I was mildly irritated by the amount of homework before, now I can be thoroughly disapproving and unsupportive of it and direct my annoyance at David Blunkett! What's your opinion on it (asking as I suspect you're a teacher)?

I'm not sure about the benefit of most homework but clearly Mr Blunkett was.

My DD is in year one and we don't get any homework apart from 20 mins of reading every day. Spellings haven't been introduced yet.

My DD (6), in the first year of primary in a French school, gets reading every night (4x a week) and a poem to learn by heart once a fortnight.

She says some of the children in her class don't do their homework (nightly reading, mostly), and really struggle as a result. They are doing phonics (in French) and learn a new sound/gesture per day, and are expected to retain and add them in to their knowledge instantly, so I do think that the homework repetition is pretty important.

mrz interesting! I was expecting you to give me a detailed account of the benefits.

I really do think it is about parents and their wish to see what their dcs do at school. It was probably better in my day - pre-Ofsted, league tables etc. Less pressure for achievement to be demonstrated.

Bonsoir do they do reading at school? Ds has individual reading daily plus guided reading sessions (not sure how many of those per week).

They have a reading text book which they follow to the letter (sic) - basically they learn a sound and associated gesture, and then have related reading practice in the following pages, in both print and cursive script.

At school they also do copying from the blackboard (in cursive) and dictation (in cursive), as well as lots of writing practice in an exercise book as well as on a whiteboard slate.

They don't read story books though, and there is no "reading scheme" with a book a night. DD and I do lots of literacy-related stuff in both languages at home (writing letters to friends and family kind of stuff) though she mostly reads in English at home.

It's very old-fashioned, and whole class teaching, but DD has made massive head way since September - she could barely write (in either language) when she went back to school, yet two days ago she wrote a smashing letter to Father Christmas in beautiful cursive .

I think lots of things are done to please parents and not because they are in the children's best interest.

I set 3 questions for my class on Friday (each requiring a single sentence answer) relating to work studied that week... a bit of revision and keeps parents informed about what we are doing ... they have until next Friday to complete it.

I should add if children don't do the homework it doesn't matter no one worries.

Our children's exercise books are sent home every Friday (different books on different weeks) for us to look over and to sign, so we know what they are doing.

Is anyone else unsure how supportive to be of an amount of homework they think is a bit much? I mean, dd is usually fairly happy to do the homework, but sometimes requires a bit of chivvying - and quite honestly if I'm going to nag my kids to do anything there are plenty of things higher up my list than homework at aged 6. I'd rather she was running around and having fun than writing 6 sentences with specific random words in them.

But otoh I don't wish to be unsupportive of her teacher (even though I think he's anally retentive, has bad grammar and generally winds me up the wrong way with his irritating notes and requests for things to be brought it at short notice grrrrr...)

Last year the approach seemed to be so much more relaxed - and sensible - but I don't know how much of that is the teacher and how much is just normal for yr2.

Wish ds's teachers had your view mrz. He gets detention if he doesn't do it.

At DD's school mothers get a roasting from the teacher in full view of all the other mothers if homework isn't done.

I teach Y2 if that helps

Mrz - that sounds like a nice amount of homework and I like the fact you want parents to be informed of what's going on!!

I teach Y5 and set reading, tables and the occasional preparation/discussion task, which is plenty.

Mollie - is your ds 6/7?

GG he is 6. Summer born.

DS is in year 2. He has reading books but there is no set amount that have to be read. He has tables to learn but again no big tests on these. He has a spelling test each week (about 12 words) and a piece of homework (various types) on Friday to be given in on Wednesday.

The amount is fine for DS.

my ds is in yr2 (7 y/o in a couple of weeks). he gets spelings on a monday/tuesday for testing on a friday, and then on a friday he either gets maths or a topic to research, eg last week it was to find a few things out about remembrance day. he also brings his reading book home every night.

Detention for a 6yr old? For (his parents) not dong his homework? Blimey, that's ridiculous!