School policy: suddenly no homework

[LaLoose]

What do you all think of this, please? We were told at the start of the year that the children would no longer have homework. We (at least us parents in Year 2) were given an A4 blank lined book and an A4 printed half-termly curriculum. No other guidance. So we have been loosely following the curriculum in the time we would otherwise spend on formal homework. Nothing has to go back into school and nothing is marked. There is one spelling test each week (five words, and all easy ones).

We have a meeting explaining the policy next week (just as we go into half term - why not at the start of term?).

Is anyone out there a teacher / someone with knowledge of the changes to the national curriculum, who might be able to explain the school's decision to me?

I have many opinions about it. But I don't know if I'm overreacting (I usually am), plus, we haven't had this meeting yet to explain it to us.

So, any thoughts?

Don't know how it relates to the new national curriculum, but our school dropped homework for Yrs 1-4 two years ago, and I embraced it wholeheartedly! They still get a spelling list and reading books but the letter we got said that the school felt that children needed time after school to play, to go to Brownies/Cubs/other groups, just to be. We do get a couple of paragraphs at the end of each school week telling us what our child's class has covered and suggesting things we might like to do at home to help (mostly along the lines of 'we've been looking at squares, rectangles and triangles - ask your child to pick out things in the house that fit these shapes'). And we know what their special topic is that term, so we can, if we want, enrich their learning that way.

I like primary-school aged children not getting much formal homework. The older year groups (Yrs 5 and 6) get a gradually-increasing amount of homework to help get them ready for secondary school. But the little ones, nope.

I don't see what the problem is.

If you want to do homework with your child, buy some workbooks from WHSmith.

In your position I would be jumping for joy, and heading out to the public library and/or ordering some craft supplies/stockpiling loo rolls and junk modelling.

All homework IS is a photocopied worksheet, or a random request to do some impossible project on the Romans/Tudors/Fire of London. You can do that without the teacher telling you to surely?

Go to the park...run around, look around the streets, talk about what you see, read books. Practise writing letters and postcards to relatives. Make a birthday card with your child. It doesn't have to be MARKED.

Yes, I think you're all right and I am being uptight. This is not a surprise, but it's nice to have it confirmed x

I would be cross though if the school then expected me to keep a diary of all the activities I am doing with my child in place of homework. That should be entirely optional.

For example our primary did this intervention called The Big Talk, where you had to talk to your child about a certain topic, so that when they went into school they had an opinion about it. All very well, but so incredibly patronising, as if no-one ever talked to their children normally, and then to test you on your parenting "talking" skills...

The school could give an encouraging list of things to do with your child, if you fancy, but it should not be a tick box exercise.

Agree no homework is liberating. You sound like an involved parent so this is a chance for you to focus on a) the things your child enjoys and b) the things which they need to work on. If your child is confident in shapes but needs some work on telling the time then you can concentrate on that more. Much better than a standard sheet from the internet which might cover a topic your dc can do backwards in their sleep!

Yes. Thank you everyone. I think I tend to the tick-box mentality, but I do know they need more work in English comprehension and converting digital to analogue time on clocks etc, so I will now employ common sense! Now, where did I put it?

Thanks again, everyone, for the extremely useful perspectives.

DD's new teacher for this year doesn't like to send work home. She encourages reading every evening and says she might send home the odd project to be done over a few weeks if the dc seemed keen but otherwise, she would like them to play, relax and pursue hobbies in an evening.

I bloody LOVE her.