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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

Homework in Year 1

14 replies

HollieHelen · 09/09/2013 13:39

Really struggling with the concept of DD being given homework in year 1 - a big project which will demand lots of input from DH and I. She finds school exhausting enough and I was really hoping the battles about bringing school work home would be postponed for a few years yet :(
On Saturday morning we were talking about her homework at breakfast and she said she thought she should go and get her uniform on as it felt like a school day not the weekend :( my heart broke.
I wanted to write a note in her homework book saying I disagree with big projects being done at home in year 1 but teacher friends told me to have a chat with the teacher about it instead. I'm a bit chicken and worried I won't be able to say what I want to!

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Idespair · 09/09/2013 13:48

How much work is it? Can you not scale it back a bit/make it more fun? I personally would avoid antagonising the teacher if at all possible. Although I don't think you're in the wrong, I just think a note saying you disagree with the school's method of education/homework isn't they way to go.

Original poster

HollieHelen · 09/09/2013 13:51

It involves drawing things, labelling parts and materials, and then writing a few sentences. We could try and package it as fun but I just disagree with parents being asked to act as teachers and structure DC's learning at home when surely it should be happening at school!
Don't want to antagonise the teacher, but I'm not sure what the homework's purpose is ... if it's to make sure parents are involved then it's not necessary as we already are.

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PrincessScrumpy · 09/09/2013 13:59

Maybe this is why dd1's school duress homework in reception, that way it's not a shock in year 1. I think it's a really important time you spend with your dc (and it can be tough - dh works shifts and I have 2yo dtds), but we always do homework and DD even did a scrap book project on her holiday when she missed a week of school to visit family in Canada. If she feels like it's hard work and hassle you're doing it wrong. It should be fun and you can scale it back to do the basics if you're too busy at the weekend. Sorry to sounds harsh but your attitude will rub off on dd and it's not a good attitude to have. Teachers can only teach so much in the day, home work reinforces what they've learned in a one to one situation so your teacher is giving you the opportunity to encourage and develop you dc's learning. Up to you if you think that's important I guess

PrincessScrumpy · 09/09/2013 14:01

Does not duress

Original poster

HollieHelen · 09/09/2013 14:03

I absolutely want to encourage DD's learning!!!! We already do her reading book with her (which she does not enjoy, despite the fact that I try and make it fun, as she's so tired after school), when I can I do it after breakfast to catch her less tired which goes slightly better. We also read loads of books together, which we both love ...
I just feel like at age 5 she deserves time to wind down and recuperate at weekends.

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DeWe · 09/09/2013 14:06

I don't like homework at primary level, but I suspect she's being a bit melodramatic having got "don't like homework" vibes from you.
"I might as well put my uniform on" is not dissimilar to ds' cry of "why can I never do anything I want to?" when I tell him his homework needs doing after spending the first 3 days doing what he wants at home, and 2 hours of that evening.

I try to get a bit done at a time, rather than all at the weekend (we get it on Monday to be back in for next Monday). I think having it all to do at the weekend does feel a bit like school taking over everything.

What I do find with ds is often the little bits of homework he finds more frustrating to do. But when he has something bigger to research and find out about he can get very into it and even quite enjoy it.

MrRected · 09/09/2013 14:13

I really disagree with your stance on this OP. what you describe should take less than 30 minutes. It could be a lovely opportunity to work with your DD and talk about her learning at school.

Homework is a fact of life and whilst I agree that too much is of no value, there is a place for home based supplemental learning.

Wheresmycaffeinedrip · 09/09/2013 14:14

I'm with you op

I had the battles all last year. They are 5/6 for gods sake their evenings and weekends should consist of a little reading and tea tv and playing. I've no problem with a bit of homework provided its something relevant to what they have been doing and can be done by the child in a small amount if time. These long will fed projects involving hours of everyone's time take the piss. There is nothing they are learning from watching mum and dad glue stuff that they wouldnt pick up from day to day life playing.

Rest is more important at that age than sodding paper mâché or whatever it is they are forced to do

MrRected · 09/09/2013 14:16

IMVHO there is no need for young children to watch telly in the week. I'd far rather my dc did a bit of drawing and chatted to me about their drawing.

kittens · 09/09/2013 14:20

At my DDs school the children are asked to read each night and are given Maths or literacy on alternate weeks in KS1 and in KS2 they are given Maths and Literacy every week. Lots of the parents at the school are up in arms about it...... Not that its too much they want the children to be given more including spelling and maths facts tests each week.

I don't get it myself and I really hope the school hold strong and don't just do it to please the really vocal parents demanding this.

Wheresmycaffeinedrip · 09/09/2013 14:26

I don't understand why people are after more either. They are still young and need their rest and down time. Seriously, with working parents kids aren't even back home til half five/six and they have had an extra two hours of having to be sociable and fit in with routines at their childminder or ASC. Let te poor kids get back and have tea and relax. Why after six hours of school 2/3 hours of wrap around care or even just a long walk or car/bus journey home or to brownies or whatever, is it not acceptable for kids to have nothing to do.

Original poster

HollieHelen · 09/09/2013 16:15

MrRected - we don't have a TV!!! DD and I chat all the time about her learning, share stories and so on ... I would just like to keep the home and school territory separate for now, and home a work-free zone for her for as long as I can.
She has a lot on her plate - we are a bilingual family, she is dealing with language learning, spelling, writing and reading in 2 languages, she is tired from school. She just needs to chat and chill!

OP posts:

MinnieMousse · 09/09/2013 16:25

I'm a primary school teacher. Setting homework is pretty much a requirement these days (the criteria for "outstanding" teaching includes setting appropriate homework). However, I too don't believe that primary age children should be over-burdened with homework. What is the deadline for the project homework? Generally, when we set this type of homework in my school it is across a half-term and the children do a little bit each week.

Elibean · 09/09/2013 17:28

dd1 had no homework till the summer term of Y1.

dd2 had optional homework from a few weeks into Y1.

IMHO homework in Infants does nothing at all - except when they start to learn their tables, which does help hugely. Although I think 'optional homework' (which most kids do regularly by the end of the year, as they mature) gets their hand in, so to speak, before a bit more kicks in in Y2, and then non-optional homework in Juniors.

OP, I would just help her a lot at this age and stage - think of it as you showing her how to do it for the future! Labelling a picture isn't so bad, but several sentences, at this age, can be torture.

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