Homework not completed with my permission - School keeping DD in at playtime - Am I in the wrong?

[Pantone363]

Homework system works like this, they get a list of 9 bits of homework. They have to complete 3 and they have a half term to do it. You can do more if you choose (and its encouraged).

Last half term DD did all 9. She tried very hard, wrote it all out in rough, brought it to me to check and then wrote it up in neat. She also did a very good craft that was on the list.

When the homework was handed back half of it wasn't even marked. The half that was marked just had one tick on each page. No feedback, no 'good effort', not even a smiley face.

DD obviously very disheartened and decides she isn't doing this lot because 'there's no point, Mrs x doesn't even look at it'

TBH I wasn't particularly bothered if she did it or not, shes 6, doing very well at school and i'm not 100% in agreement with homework for 6 year olds.

Hand in day was yesterday, DD has just informed me on the way to school that she has been told she won't have playtime today and will have to stay in to do her homework. Teacher wasn't around at drop off to query.

Would I be in the wrong to phone the school and tell them not to keep her in?

Slightly awkward because i'm a governor at the school

I agree with Blu.

To be honest, not going to talk to the teacher about the first lot of homework makes it seem to me like you were angling for a confrontation.

It's a good point that I should of spoken with the teacher in the first place. From my point of view I didn't feel it was ok to tell the teacher she hadn't marked the work properly/at all and could DD have some praise please.

I can see how that might feel awkward - but when she first got the next lot and said she wouldn't do it, you could have said to the teacher that she didn't want to do it because of all the work and no pay off she got last time. And asked the teachers advice as to whether she could duck out or not.

I feel you allowed her to be in a position where she got kept in.

Oh well, next time, eh!

I agree that the response was v disappointing, and I think you should have talked about it to the teacher at the time. If you want to escalate, you could now point out that the reason your DC hasn't done it this time is because of last, but perhaps that will make too much of a drama of things? ie be unhelpful long term?

BTW - I really resent poor marking, at either extreme. Having "Good work - I know just what you did this weekend now" put at the bottom of a really cr*p 2 line piece of work in year 2 made getting my DS1 to put his back into things almost impossible.

Quite agree michaelah, DD has had "wrong but good effort" back in the past for something which was correct but lazy, and I grumped.

OP, I agree with Blu, you implicitly agreed with your DD when she said, "there's no point because she doesn't mark it" and that was not a good way to handle it.

Go back and talk like an adult to the teacher, find a solution, talk to DD and move on.

It's not clear that the teacher told child what consequences were if homework not done. I think everything hinges on how clear that was.

Clear=yabu
Not clear = yanbu