How much homework does your KS1 dc get?

[harryhausen]

Just trying to get a bit of a feel as what's 'normal'

I have a ds in Y1 and a dd in Y3.

When my dd was in Y1, for homework she got weekly

Spellings (around 6 - 8 words)
Reading (if they read 3 times a week they got a certificate)
Extra homework over half term/Easter hols to 'build' something etc.

Now my ds in the same Y1 class as my dd was with the same teacher. They've had all the same spellings, reading etc but never any holiday homework.

I don't mind at all. In fact, the school has recently recieved a higher ofsted rating and both my dcs are doing well.

However, when I saw my dsil recently she exclaimed surprise at how 'little' my dcs were doing. Her dcs are in Y3 and Reception. She says her dc in Reception gets much more - reading, spellings, maths, even science. In fact she complained about finding time to do it all.

They are all in state primaries.

So what's a 'normal' amount. I'm happy with our current homework level, but would like to know about others experience.

1 piece of work (either maths or English occasionally both) per week and I send home a reading book nothing in the holidays.

Y1 a list of termly suggestions, do as much or as little or own ideas.

Y2 three words to spell, based on whatever blending they doing and write sentence for each word. Occasionally an optional numeracy sheet.

I piece of maths, one of English each Friday.

Reading book changed as often as needed.

A termly 'project' (lasts one was houses and homes) to do as much or little as you wish with the child on.

I was anti-homework before she started school, but actually really appreciate knowing what they're doing in more detail than half-termly info.

5 or 10 spellings a week (depending on ability) to learn using Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check method. Optionally could write words into sentences.

Encouraged to read daily or as frequently as possible (children change their own books)

1 longer piece of work with a week to do it.

DD in y1 normally gets:
Reading book, changed twice a week (or when finished now she's a free reader)
Words - about 6 words, she has to write one sentence per word, weekly.
Maths - weekly game or worksheet sent home to play/complete.
Nothing else so far...

Thanks. Very interesting. I think our school definitely gives out less homework than others.

Year 1 - reading every day, spellings which are tested in Mondays. One piece of homework per week (usually takes about 10 mins).

Year 2 is similar, but the homework can take up to 30 mins.

What do you want from homework?

Every piece of assessed work is more time the teachers spends ticking umpteen copies of the same thing rather than planning interesting lessons.

If its times tables reading, you can run that at your own pace regardless of school

Spellings should be weekly and geared to a range of abilities

but the private school obsession with homework appears largely to be justification to parents rather than genuine extension work

• kids who moved from selective private to DCs comp were no further ahead despite having had bucket loads more homework over the years.

DD is in year 1. She gets spellings once a week (6-8 words), reading book changed x 3 a week and homework once a week - either a piece of writing, maths or drawing/writing combined. Nothing during the holidays. I am happy with this amount of homework. She would probably like more - she loves practising handwriting.

Talkinpeace, I don't particularly ^want^ anything from homework. Like I say, I'm happy with how they're doing and I wouldn't necessarily want them to have more.

I was just curious as to what was considered 'normal' as my Dsis inlaw seemed surprised that my dcs didn't have as much as hers yet they are slightly older. I don't know if it was a passive aggressive 'dig' at my dcs school

I'm just interested.

harry
I have no idea what sort of school your kids are at.
I went private, for economic reasons my kids are state, I have no ethical stance on it
but I do know that the parental obsession with homework is more competitive than academic.

Well from this thread your children's school appears pretty average in the homework stakes.

DS1 is in Reception and he has reading daily, and one discussion topic every weekend which we record in a book provided and he can draw pictures, or write or we can take photos or whatever to show what we've discussed and his ideas. This is sometimes maths and science focused, other times more general.

Then 2 optional pieces of homework each half term. One that relates somehow to the topic they are covering, and the other which is a mini maths project.

We have probably done about 50% of the projects, sometimes we just don't have time if we have a run of busy weekends - or as recently DH and I have both been unwell and anything not absolutely necessary has gone by the board!

We are religious about the reading and the discussion topic though, absolutely religious.

I would hate to have more. I like that DS1 has time to come home from school and just flop around and play with his little brother - and that weekends aren't taken over with school stuff.

DS3 is in year one and has 8 spellings to learn each week, thankfully he seems to have taken to spelling like a duck to water unlike his older brothers who needed regular drilling to remember them and then promptly forgot after the test reading as often as possible - we try to do this every night. Half termly they have a maths challenge where a subject is sent home and they can interpret it how they like - this half term it's 'show 100' and the submissions have included models made with 100 lego bricks, a photo of 10 cakes each with 10 sweets on the top, 100 photos of tractors etc.

Until 3 weeks ago DC school was as average & ordinary as schools got (now it has a Good Ofsted rating, so not so ordinary).

anyway, I think yr1 we were asked to read daily or near as, maybe a few math problems & one bit of writing/week. Plus one or 2 little very optional projects/term, like building a model of a building in town (parents obviously did most of it). No spellings.

DS currently in reception has a few sheets of writing each weekend. (literally words on each sheet type of thing).

By the way, it varies by the child. DD is high ability and has had way more project homework from y2 onwards than her brothers.

dd2 is in Y1.

Reading hoped for expected nightly.

Homework once a week (at weekends), either a bit of writing, some 'research' eg materials around the house, or a few maths problems. It is optional, and some children get given extension homework whereas others are told not to pressure their kids into doing any - very much child centered, in other words.

No spellings at home, all done within school.

Holiday projects similar to OP's.

But even within our area, primaries vary a fair bit on homework at this age. I suspect it depends on the ethos of the school, and the SMT's beliefs about the value/purpose of homework, as well as pressure from parents!

DS in Y1.
10-15mins reading expected every day, reading book changed twice a week and we read other things in between and record in reading diary. They get a star for each time they have read with an adult and a small treat (pencil, little toy etc) for completing 10 reading sessions.
Each term we get ten suggested pieces of homework related to their topic and it's very much left to the parents how much to tackle - we tend to do one a week and I think that's at the keen end of the scale. They take about half an hour and are a mixture of maths, science, writing, art etc.
We don't get any spellings sent home but they do seem to be doing them in phonics lessons and correcting their written work.
Most holidays we have some sort of suggested project - usually some sort of art/craft thing.
At the recent parent's evening we were asked if we were happy with that amount, the teacher said she was happy to set our DS extra work if we wanted as he's working ahead of the expected levels for his age, but she also said her take on it was that they need time to be little children. We agreed!