Did YOU have homework at Primary School?

[morningpaper]

I don't remember having homework at Primary School, except for Summer Holiday projects. Now it seems normal.

Did YOU have homework at Primary School?

I was at primary school in the 1980's and I remember having to write out words and then make up sentences using the words, I liked doing that.
I also remember having to learn times tables and doing sums I hated that and used to get really stressed and upset about it, dd1 is exactly the same with maths homework.
I have a vague recollection of being in Primary 1 and having a little tin with words in it that I had to learn, Dd1 had those as well when she started school but she didn't get a cool little tin she got a plastic folder.
I'm sure there must have been reading books as well but I don't remember them, I loved reading though so maybe it doesn't stand out as much because I enjoyed it and would and still do read as much as I can.

Oh yes we had tins with words, it was tobacco tins . Had special Orange folder things with strips to sit the words in to construct sentences in class.

Am very interested in learning through play in primary schools, from my own reading and education background I know in theory it should work but am starting to ahve my doubts.

Our two feeder schools adopt a learnign through play approach - they don't read ot write anything in reception, and there is very little in year one and I am convinced it is having a negative affect on their education later on. There is of course more at work than the learnign through play, the whole school is so relaxed it is horizontal, no one bats an eyelid when kids are late, hardly anyone brings in bags with books and pencil cases, lesson lengths are chaotic and everchanging and kds just seem to drift in and out. OUr new pupils are bringing this same attitude into seocndary school and their literacy levels and work ethic is shocking

I think it is fine in the lower years but not all the way through, a lot of euorpeans use the kindergarten method where formal sit down schooling does't start until 6/7 years old and the results seen at high school ages is the same as countries starting formal education at 5 years like Scotland.

I know it does work on the continent but seems acomplete failure in this case.

I think it works there as there is a definite transition form kindergarten to school. School is structured much the same way as traditional schools here. Punctuality etc is expected at both.

No.

Homework started two weeks into secondary school and was scheduled for 20 minutes a night 3 or 4 nights per week from what I remember. It gradually rose from there to be something like 1.5 hours per evening (every evening) by A levels, with 2.5 hours at the weekend (or something along those lines)

Nope (state primary, 70s).

Tell a lie, one evening when i was about 6 I had to find a picture of a duck

No, none.

Mid - late 80s, small state primary school.

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A lot of European Countries learn upto 3 other languages before they get to higher education. I have Belgian, Finnish,French and Swiss friends who have told me this!

Bl**dy good luck to them,We need a good shake up here as we are definately the inferior race with respect to education.

tenalady, we were inundated by homeworks in Italy, but sadly no foreign languages until middle school (and only one)

TenaLady (love the name btw ) Mine dont have 3 play times a day. They have a very short morning break & a short play at lunchtime. Their school also seems to start earlier & finish later than most state primaries I agree with martianbishop, all the damn after school clubs, playdates etc really eat into all their time. Ive now restricted them to one activity a week (Brownies & Rainbows), & weve only had two playdates so far this term. We still have violin, recorders etc though. By the time weve finished homework, recorders & had dinner its virtually bedtime

rarely had homework before senior school age (just the odd bit if we wanted to!)
My kids primary school finishes at 3.10 we used to finish at 3.30

No homework at my state primary school in the 60's. I question the value of it as does this article.