Question for primary school teachers ..

[Carolmillen]

At DS's school, if the children are in the top groups for spellings, maths etc, they get more work than if they are in the lower groups. Why is that as I would have thought that children in the lower groups should get the same or more work?

I'm all for stretching children - but I think they should be stretched whatever level they are working at. Is DS's school the norm?

Seriously CarolMillen?
They are already differentiating for 5 lessons a day, into around 5 different groups (but occasionally also catering for individuals with a particular need) - do you honestly think they should be sorting out 30 individual sets of pointless homework too ?
I hope my dcs teachers have better things to do with their time.

Steppemum - Excellent post.

But if you WANT to do extra with your child ( and many parents don't actually want homework to be set at all) then there is nothing to stop you. So if the teacher has set 10 questions for your child and you and your child are happy to do some more, then feel free to do so. Make up similar ones of your own, I've never met a teacher who is annoyed if extra homework is completed!

I think homework can co-exist with playing outside, being physical, playing with lego etc steppemum - well, it certainly does in our house.

op - I didn't say it couldn't.
But if you get 10 sentences which are supposed to take 20 minutes, and you would like 20 sentences like the top set children, then it would take 40 minutes (or longer) and THEN it really does start to eat into play time.

and I don't work so kids come home at 3.20. But for a working parent whose child is in after school club, the window at home can be quite small and it is not ideal to fill it with homework.