Homework in year 6 - how much do yours do?

[freddiefrog]

DD1 has just started year 6, been back about 2 and a half weeks.

First 2 days we didn't get any homework and the teacher is now 'starting them off gently'

For the last 2 weeks we've had - a maths sheet with around 50 sums on each night, 20 spellings home on Monday night to learn for spelling test on Friday plus a literacy sheet each night (grammar, nouns, that sort of thing) plus set reading which they then have to answer questions on in their reading diary (all this has to be handed in the following day, if it's not they have to do it during break/lunch time)

Then on Friday she brings home any unfinished 'morning work' which are work sheets theyre given to do by themselves for the 1st 10/15 minutes of the school day (these are supposed to be completed and handed in on Monday as well) and we get a project home which has to be handed in on Monday - last week was to design a space-themed theme park, this week we had to write a report on 'a dreamer who has changed the world'

We also have a speaking and listening project to do each half term (they do a project on a given subject then do a presentation to the class) and we also have a termly 'homework grid' which is a chart of about 30 ideas, of which they're expected to do 10 a term

At the moment she's doing at least an hour a day, with around 3 hours over the weekend.

I know they have to prepare them for secondary school but this seems a bit much to me. If this is breaking in gently I dread to think what the next few weeks will be like.

She's knackered and struggling to find time to do other stuff - she's a scout, learning the piano so practices for 30 minutes a day, swimming lessons, etc. she's already in a panic about next weekends homework - we're away for a family wedding (leaving straight after school on Friday and not back until about 7ish Sunday night) and is begging me to speak to her teacher as she's worried about getting into trouble.

Thanks!

takes about an hour each week at the moment

Speak to the head an clarify how many hours she is expected to do each week and each day. Set the timer and do as much as poss. Then write a note on her work ''xx has already done x many hours homework this week and so I have told her she mustn't do any more.''

DS got about 30 minutes per week for the first half of Year 6, about an hour per week in the second half.

Your child is currently doing significantly more than DS is doing in Year 7....

I'd get a copy of the school's homework policy and check it for the amount of time homework is expected to take in each year. Raise it with the school ASAP if what your daughter is getting is breaking the rules set down in the policy, and 'work to rule' (ie do no more time than the policy states) until it is properly resolved.

Grrrrrrrrr. Wholly unnecessary. DS did very, very well at the end of Year 6, as did his entire year group - more homework does NOT = better results.

DS gets a couple of maths sheets a week at the moment, they don't usually take long 10mins maybe, and is expected to read to me in the evenings. However his current maths sheet is proving more problematic (see other thread!)

Is this at a state school? I would only really expect them to get one each of literacy and maths over the weekend, with perhaps an ongoing project to do related to their topic.
Your daughter seems to be getting homework more often than my son who has just started year 11 .

About 7 'activities' a week. Each thing can take between 20 -40 mins depending on what it is. So approx 3.5 hours total - if he settles down to it.

Thanks!

I'll speak to the Head on Monday and find out what's what.

We've had a home-school contract home which just states we agree to support the school with homework but doesn't state how long.

She's doing well at school, finished year 5 on target so doesn't need to catch up or anything

Last year it was about half an hour a week plus reading and spellings - a numeracy sheet and a literacy sheet on a Monday, to be handed in the following Monday, then 10 spellings over a week, plus whatever reading she wanted to do.

I did put my foot down last week - it was DD1's birthday on Thursday, she had an afterschool club until 4.15, then we took her out for a pizza so didn't have time to do it. I spoke to her teacher Friday morning, but found out that evening that she was made to stay in at lunchtime to do it (had to eat her lunch at her desk in the classroom), I didn't find out until quite late or I'd have had words.

Sorry, x-posted. yes, a state primary.

We've had nowhere near this amount in any of the previous years

Dd is at a private school applying for a selective senior school

She missed some homework the second week back as she wasn't in school much because she was in a show but thus week she had 1 bit if research ( find out some facts on their history topic) to use as a basis for some class work plus a maths worksheet which took about 10 mins. She told me tiday she has something to do over the weekend

I don't really count spellings as I do t really get told about them. She has a spelling test once a fortnight and a mental maths test too. As long as she gets a decent amount right I just leave her to it.

She dances 3 times a week, plays piano & does drama & singing. Up until last week she had Sunday show rehearsals too so not time for much more.

At the moment DS in YR6 gets one 2 sided A4 sheet of maths and 4 guided reading tasks to do a week. Usually given on a Friday to be returned the following Friday. The maths takes about 20 minutes, the guided reading tasks maybe an hour over all.

From the start of term in January they will get a booklet a week of Maths and English practise papers to do in addition to their other work.

Dd is looking forward to a relatively easy year to be honest because as soon as senior school offers are made in October (though those applying to local state grammar have to sit tests in Jan- then it should be a fun year with lots of interesting stuff.

My Year 6 are expected to do 30 mins an evening. But I would never expect things in the next day unless there was a specific reason. eg. research a subject ready for the next days literacy lesson.

They get;
spellings (weekly)
times tables (weekly)
30 mins of maths (2 nights to do)
30 mins of reading comprehension (2 nights to do)
longer writing task is given out Thurs to hand in on Tues
occasional topic/science work too (usually given a week to do this)
reading their reading book

Mine has about 45 minutes to one hour per night. She stays late at school and gets most of it done then.

DS1 had one piece of literacy and one piece of maths a week last year, 30-40 minutes each, plus spellings and reading. Your DD's teacher is being hugely unfair - DS1 is now Y7 at Grammar School and getting around an hour a night. This is made up of three pieces of work about twenty minutes each, and never more than one of them due in the next day.

Definitely complain!

Mine has to do four hours a week now he is in year six.

Cece- when you ask for research do the children take books home? The reason I ask is that we have a bit of a problem with this. Dd often does her homework in the dance studio whilst I between classes or while we are taking her brother to taekwondo.

I access the Internet on my phone. We have a work computer they arnt allowed to use for confidentiality/data protection/CP reasons ( I work with children) and its really really slow

The dc used to have a netbook but it's gone all funny blank screen and won't connect to router/printer etc

I'm a bit uncomfortable with the idea of getting her a smartphone do she can access the Internet for research whilst at dance

I think most of them do it on the internet tbh. If that is an issue they are allowed to use the class computer at lunchtime if they ask.

Homework guidelines for primary and secondary schools

The emphasis is on how homework helps your child to learn, rather than on whether it takes a certain amount of time.

For example, some children will work quicker than others and get more done in less time. The rough guidelines for primary school children are:

Years 1 and 2: one hour per week
Years 3 and 4: 1.5 hours per week
Years 5 and 6: 30 minutes per day

www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Schoolslearninganddevelopment/SchoolLife/DG_179508

4 days a week, adds up to 31 min according to DD:
10 minutes spelling (includes writing)
10 min maths, 10 min English, 1 minute Times Tables.

Can take 1 hour+ with DS yr4, he fusses so much about doing it.

DD has homework twice a week; given out on Tuesday to be in on Friday, then given out on Friday to be in on Monday.

So far its been either a maths worksheet or a piece of writing - so much the same as she got last year. Friday's was pretty typical: write at least 8 sentences about your favourite sound.

Last year they generally had a project to do over each half term as well - they have a big A3 book & had to fill a page on a specific topic with pictures, information etc.

I think in dd's school it depends very much on the teacher. At the start of year 3 the first homework given (to the whole class - bearing in mind that my dd couldn't write more than a sentence at that point) was to produce an eight page project on bells!

As far as I can tell all the homework given throughout the school is for the class as a whole - so no differentiation by ability or by year group (2 year groups per class). So overall I'm grateful that the top class teacher isn't so keen on it . . .

Homework every night, gets a few days to finish most although odd one is for next day. That's unusual though. Varies in type and quantity, but probably averages at about 20-30 min a night over the week.

I am a Yr 6 teacher and my class gets 1 piece of maths and 1 longish literacy a week, plus reading, tables etc. they have a long, ongoing project on top of that. I cannot begin to imagine how your child's teacher marks that much homework as well as all the work they do in class!

DS's homework:

Monday - spellings (10-15) to be written out 3 times each, and a handwriting sheet
Tuesday - Science (changes weekly)
Wednesday - Maths
Thursday - Maths and revise spellings
Friday - Literacy
Holidays - a project. These have previously including creating a story box and telling the class the story, researching a scientist or engineer of choice, researching the victorians, researching a topic of choice from the 1960's

Should take about half an hour a night and an hour at the weekends, DS is a slow worker so takes longer.

muppet from what I can understand she doesn't. They 'share their homework experiences' where she collects in the sheets and then hands it out to other kids who mark it while the teacher reads out the answers. I think she looks through the books a couple of times a week

She only marks the weekend projects.

We seem to be doing about 8-10 hours a week and DD1 isn't a particularly slow worker or a perfectionist who spends hours on presentation

I'll have a word at school on Monday, I'm concerned as this is supposed to be 'breaking them in gently'. She's knackered and has hardly any time for anything else

Thanks!