Year 2 Homework - how much?

[knottyhair]

Just wondered how much homework other people's kids get in Year 2. My DS gets at least 3 books a week to read (can be more if they read them quickly enough), plus one piece of homework every week, e.g. make a chart for the days of the week, write down a sentence for each day describing an activity you do on that day and draw a picture of it. Also gets about 10 other tasks to be completed throughout the term, e.g. to research a particular subject and write about it, plus another large creative project to completed during the term. It seems quite a lot, and I worry that his time before and after school is always taken up with reading or homework, plus he ends up with stuff to do at weekends as well. Some other schools I know seem to give them less, but more structured tasks, like a list of spellings to learn or a book report to write.

My dd is in a very academic school and she gets one book a night (about 10/12 pages to read), 6 spellings a night, 1 x maths sheet (takes about 10 mins) or a piece of writing (about 15 mins). She also gets a weekend piece of research (write about a topic and draw a picture). I think this is a bit much tbh for a 6 year old but she seems fine with it. HTH.

DD is YR2.

She can change reading bnook every day if it's been signed off by her parents.

She gets 10 spellings a week to learn, tested on a Friday.

She gets number bonds to learn, tested on a Thursday.

At the moment she dosnet get any other homework.

My DD in a very average state primary get -

1. reading to be done every night, books changed by child when neded;

1. 10 or 12 spellings per week, graded in difficulty for different phonic groups;

1. A maths task which usually takes 10 minutes, or shorter.

DD chooses to do an extra task each week but that is optional. All homework given out on Mon to be handed in on Friday, so weekends are free, apart from reading.

I would be at the need for a big project and also needing to do stuff at the weekend, however I personally feel that my DD would benefit from more homework.

...to be done during the week, I should add.

my dd is yr1 but in mixed class with yr2 also at an average state primary,
she gets:

reading book changed 3 times a week,

8 spellings per week tested on mon,
also has to write a sentance for each spelling word,

sheet of maths home work to be handed in on fri

im not sure if the year2 get any more, i think that maybe the top group do but other groups get about the same.

Thanks for all your replies. It's amazing how much it varies from school to school! When he started year 2, the 10 other tasks to be done during the term were described as "suggestions to support learning" which I took to mean were optional. However, when I asked his teacher she said "oh yes, they need to be handed in sooner rather than later". Thanks for the clear language then!

DS is in a son-selective pre-prep. Homework every night which consists of a reading book plus one of the :

• sentence writing using spelling words for the week

-reading comprehension -maths twice a week -writing assignment

Each worksheet is very short and takes less than 15 minutes to complete.

ha ha - meant NON-selective pre prep!

DD is at an academic school. She reads every night and changes books when she is finished. She reads for about 10-15 mins I would say.
She has 10 spellings to learn and that's it.

My six year old dd is in year 2.

She is obviously expected to read at home. She is a 'free' reader and brings home a library book. Obviously, these vary in length and can take anything from a few nights to a few weeks to read, partially dependent on what other books we are enjoying at home.

She also gets a spelling list. That is all.

Luckily, our school does not set homework until juniors, in line with the academic research that suggests that homework does not benefit younger children.

This suits us because there is only 4 hours between getting home and getting to bed in which to play, eat, bath, go swimming/rainbows and do piano practice.

Oh, and the other bit of the school homework policy is that within juniors, project work won't be set because it involves too much of the parents' time and resources (which in some families means it won't get done).

In juniors, one bit of homework a week is set. This was a sop to parents (who apparently love homework, based on the school's consultation) but not in line with the research.

There is also space and time within school lunchtimes to enable homework to get done if children's homelife is not conducive to school work.

DS is in year 2. He has Reading books which are read and changed when finished. No time limits and no set amount to read per week.

A piece of homework on Friday to be handed in by Wednesday. Never takes very long

10-12 spellings per week which are tested on Fridays

Tables are generally there - they get "tested" on them by parent volunteers but no real pressure to do them. I think we could make a little more effort tbh .

No long projects for which I am glad.

Follygirl and Civil, that sounds much more sensible! This level of homework was set after consulation with parents but I guess my friends and I (and every other parent I've spoken to!) must have been in the minority!

Ds gets 2 reading books but one is comprehension so has 15 questions to answer. He also gets one piece of maths homework which takes him about 5 mins tops

Ds2 is in yr2. He gets two books to read, one of which has to be read each night.

He also has 10-15 spellings, which have to be written out in a booklet every day and are tested once a week.

Then there is a maths worksheet, which can take up to 30 mins to complete.

Ditto, literacy. A maximum 30 minute task, which can be anything from comprehension to a piece of written work relating to what they're doing in class.

He also gets the occasional bit of research or prep to do for various assignments they are covering.

We are also supposed to do times tables practise with them regularly, but I have to admit this is the one that tends to slide with us.

It wasn't so bad when it was just ds1 getting that level of homework, but now I have ds1 in juniors and ds2 in year 2, I often end up feeling split down the middle when they both need help and support with their homework at the same time.

Ds1 coped fine with this level of homework when he was in year 2, as he is naturally academic. Ds2 on the other hand, can do the work, but finds it tiring and is already exhausted when he gets home from school most days.

Personally I think its too much for infant school children. I didn't get homework until I went to secondary school, despite attending what was considered to be the best state infant and junior schools in the area at the time.

Ironically, we moved back to this area after a long period away when we started a family and my boys go to the same infant school that I did (although it has since expanded a lot and become a primary school).

I am kid of dreading it when my kids are move up the school. At the moment yr 2 gets 10 spellings. 1 maths or English piece of homework and books. She reads and changes at her pace. Recently 1 book a night or averaging 3 or 4 per week (ORT Treetops). Year R gets his sounds and 1 / 2 books a week. I'm hoping the first two get through to working more independently by the time number 3 starts primary school...... I heard Kirstie Allsop talking about this on the radio once as she had 3 or 4 primary school aged children. I'm not sure I'm in a position to say don't send it because I can't cope with doing it but after a day at school DD seems pretty tired so anymore than what she is getting at the moment would be tough on us all. She gets a book from the library every week and that, shamefully, stays in the bag at the moment. I don't have the windows at the moment to read that with her and her home reader.

Hope this helps.

Poppet