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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

Year 1: homework every night...and to be done for the next day?

30 replies

Greythorne · 10/09/2012 19:38

I am a bit surprised, but maybe it's normal....

My DD1 (aged 5.9, in Year 1) has been given homework every night since being back. One night it was to colour a picture (ok, not very onerous) and sight learn 12 words (that's a whole other thread, BTW, the sight reading and lack of phonics). Tonight she had to sight memorise 9 names of colours and colour in a picture using specific colours.

Given that the school day is 8.30 - 4.15, I really feel like they should be able to fit in the work to the school day. Or is this normal?

Tonight, D came out at 4.15, hot, bothered and very tired. By the time we had walked home, got in the house, had a dink, it was 5.15 and the very last thing she or I wanted to ddo was start drilling colour names by sight. But we had to because the homework is for tomorrow.

I feel like I would be more relaxed if we had homework over the weekend, but every school night......

Feeling glum. God knows how DD is feeling. Very disheartened, I think.

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PeasandCucumbers · 10/09/2012 19:52

That sounds crazy! I'm assuming this is an indie school going by the school day times. My DS & DD are at an indie school & policy is no homework other than reading & spelling (which are based on the sound they are currently working on) until KS2.

BarbarianMum · 10/09/2012 19:52

I don't think I would find that acceptable tbh.

In Y1 Ds1 read to me every day before school for 10 min. Sometimes, instead of reading we had spellings instead but not until the spring term. It is only now, in Y2 that he has to do 15 min or so after school and he finishes at 3pm.

In your position I would be selective about what homework is done and tell the teacher why (ie that it is your decision because x was too tired/busy etc).

Houseworkprocrastinator · 10/09/2012 19:52

Mine is year 1 too, so far she has had a reading book every night and has 4 spellings to learn this week. Given today and tested on Friday. (same amount of homework as reception)
I think yours sounds a bit much and she is in school an hour and twenty mins longer than mine. Is it a state school or a private?

Original poster

Greythorne · 10/09/2012 19:53

Sorry, should have been clearer, it is a state school but we are in France. I am just trying to benchmark against what it acceptable in the UK.

OP posts:

RueDeWakening · 11/09/2012 00:19

DD has just started year 1 - went back last week. Today she brought home her first school reading book, which can be changed twice a week if she's read it. She also brought home some words (I, he, she, we, you) to learn and write a line of them neatly in an exercise book, this is due to be handed in on Thursday.

My understanding is that the French school system is very prescriptive and doesn't take kindly to people (usually English!) rocking the boat, so I would tread very carefully if you decide to challenge anything. Good at drilling stuff in by rote, not so much at creativity and learning through play.

nailak · 11/09/2012 00:20

started on wed, today brought home a reading book (read together not her to read) and a review book, says every week she has to fillin a review, of any book at home or school and when review book is full school give free book.
every week has to be done by wed.

BackforGood · 11/09/2012 00:23

In UK, children of that age only tend to be in from about 8.50 / 9am to about 3.15 ish, and it's not usual to have homework everynight.
I mean, most schools encourage you to read together every night, but I've never consideered that homework.

StillSquiffy · 11/09/2012 05:36

What you describe is not unusual for a private school in the UK, although IME the parents are all told to forget about doing the homework if they feel their child is too tired.

Bonsoir · 11/09/2012 11:01

Doesn't sound unusual to me. The children in DD's school have homework every night from the beginning of CP and, in addition, have a poem to learn by heart every fortnight.

mum4041 · 11/09/2012 11:06

In year one we had a list of five spellings to learn and we had a week to do it. Reading books - just as much as you can really - but didn't have to be every night. Then an occasional task which quite a lot of people would just ignore.

Year 2 - apart from reading books, we've had nothing so far and they've been back a week.

So it does sound a lot to me.

littleducks · 11/09/2012 11:10

It doesn't sound more than dd had at that age just very differently structured. We had to read daily, do some king of activity that involved research/computer access and printing/ or a trip to the shop to buy materials.

What were the colours? U would expect yr 1 to know colours, or are they specific shades?

OneOfMyTurnsComingOn · 11/09/2012 11:12

My DD has been in 2 primary schools and only had a maximum of 2 lots of homework a week. Only one lot in Y1 though.

Original poster

Greythorne · 11/09/2012 11:24

Littleducks

It wasn't learning colour names like yellow, lilac or maroon. It was memorising the words for reading. Ie look and say method of memorising words, so just 9 main colours (red, black, white etc) I have started a whole other thread about why I am unhappy they are memorising whole words rather than using sounds to decode!

OP posts:

Bonsoir · 11/09/2012 11:33

They clearly aren't doing a méthode syllabique or phonémique. Have you got a date for the beginning of year parent-teacher meeting?

EdithWeston · 11/09/2012 11:47

In year 1, children were expected to do 10 minutes reading nightly, to learn 10 spellings a week, and to do one maths sheet and one English homework once a week each of which should take under 20 minutes. I think in year 1 there were a couple of days before the home works had to be handed in. The amount of homework stayed the same in years 2&3, but by year 3 they did need to be handed in next day. But they were always on the same days every week, so we could plan round it.

Mominatrix · 11/09/2012 11:53

Pushy private Pre-prep, and in Year 1 it was a book a night, 1 list of 10 spellings a week, and 2 very short sheets a week (one English, one maths).

Rollergirl1 · 11/09/2012 12:18

DD was in Yr1 last year. She had a new book every day (but that was only because she read her book every evening and the book was changed as soon as it was read). She also had 10 spellings that came home on a Wednesdau and had to be learned for the spelling test the following Monday. And she had a sheet of Maths homework that came home on a Friday that had to be in for the following Wednesday.

The reading started straight away, the spelling within a few weeks of terms starting and the maths after christmas. So it was introduced gradually. I think that is far too ambitious for a child that is already doing a longer than average school day.

Haberdashery · 11/09/2012 12:42

DD has just started in year 1. She'll be getting one or two pieces of homework per half term with around a week allowed between getting her instructions and handing it in. Also, three reading books per week. I think later on in the year they will have spellings, too.

Maya736 · 11/09/2012 14:19

My son has just started Yr 2 and he only get homework once a week, which is mainly spellings, and a bit of maths. We are expected to get him to read to us every night for 10 mins but HW every night sounds a bit much.

Butkin · 11/09/2012 14:37

DD (indie school) got reading every night in Yr 1. The actual work didn't start until Yr 2 when she got a project a night (plus reading).

Tgger · 11/09/2012 20:22

Sounds horrible. I'd be a rebel and maybe do it just at the breakfast table the next day.

Fuzzymum1 · 13/09/2012 14:54

My DS3 is 5 and in Y1, he gets spellings to learn each week - 10 words, tested on a friday and given on the friday ready for the next week. We are asked to read with them 10 minutes a night. So far he hasn't had anything else but at most there would be one other task a week with several days minimum to do it.

pigsinmud · 13/09/2012 16:45

I think that is far too much. I am not in favour of homework at primary level.

Dc4 in yr 1 last year - 1 piece of homework a week and spellings. Homework was optional - dd mostly wanted to do it. She had a reading book, but we didn't read every day.

Bunnyjo · 13/09/2012 16:53

DD is 5.0 and just started Yr1. She has a reading book every night, which she enjoys reading. She has spellings to practise daily for a spelling test at the end of the week and also numeracy homework, once or twice a week, that's usually due a couple of days later.

Lonecatwithkitten · 13/09/2012 16:59

People have wildly different opinions on how much homework children should have. When DD was in year 1 indie with this level of homework the parents fell into 3 even groups of too much, just right and too little.

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