Summer holiday homework. Should I talk to teacher?

[IndieTara]

Hi all. DD is going into YR 5 from next week. I went to a settling In meeting before the holidays and big emphasis is being placed on the kids taking responsibility for doing their homework.

Homework for the school hols was to read 4 books then complete a specific report on each book ( a different report for each one )

So a week later school finished and DD's dad collected her on the last day then 2 days later flew off for 3 weeks holiday with her. He didn't take her homework with them.
For info we are divorced

While they were away I went into hospital for an operation that requires min 6 weeks recovery time, my mum and dad flew over to help me.

My daughter has been with us for the last 3 weeks of the holidays. I started her on her homework and insisted we read at least 3 chapters most days. We completed the first book. Then my mum had an accident here and broke her foot!

We are now both on crutches but she is more fragile than me so me and my dad are doing our best to help her and I am trying to take back the tasks my mum was previously doing.

This has meant that not much emphasis has been placed on finishing homework. But I don't want her to be penalised in any way at school because none of these circumstances are her fault.

So if you've managed to get this far my question is. Should I let her new teacher know?

Yes!

They shouldn't be setting 'homework' for the summer anyway. At most it should be 'suggested activities'.

Was it 4 specific books?
If not, I'd suggest that she at least writes one report of a book she's previously read (or even better, read over the summer) at least to show willing. I bet there will be loads of DC that haven't done the homework.

I'm not a fan of holiday homework anyway, but I do think if the aim was to make your DD take responsibility for her own homework, then she has rather failed to do this ... she does need to up her game for term time. I'm not sure why you being on crutches means she can't read a book ... or why she could take a book with her when on holiday?

No 4 books of her choosing and you're right being on crutches doesn't mean I can't do anything but it does mean it now takes me much longer to do things. I'm tired because I'm not sleeping due to discomfort after the op, I'm fighting off an infection to my wound too. Plus now trying to help my mum and take over the household jobs she was doing when I wasn't mobile.

Yes at age 9 DD knows she is now supposed to take responsibility for her homework but she is still only 9 and is a normal 9 year old who needs regular reminding to do things.

Im annoyed her dad has left it all to me to do though.

It is a holiday.

It probably won't even get marked. Once we went to the USA to meet with family and my stepdaughter was told to keep a journal - she gave it to the teacher who asked for it when she got back, and the teacher never returned it, commented on it and when asked said that they had lost it.

So just don't worry about it.

In Yr5 she shouldn’t really need you or dad to manage her homework. Sounds like she knew she had to do it and didn’t take books with her on the holidays, so I’d let her explain if she’s asked

OP, you've entirely missed my point. DD was told that she was expected to organise her own homework. She should have remembered to take a book(s) with her with her dad. She should be reading the book(s) while you are on crutches. You being on crutches does not stop her reading! She has had 6 weeks and failed to do anything. She needs to up her game once it's term time. Reading 4 books over the holiday is not particularly onerous (though my DC would find writing the reports so). None of your reasons explain why she's been unable to do this!

My Ds would not of done the report without prompts despite going into year 7 but he has read loads of books over the holidays.

I would of thought the fact you and your mum were on crutches would of meant far more time at home and time to do this stuff rather than less

This sounds just like the school's version of the libraries' summer reading schemes but with an expected rather than optional written report. Perhaps we are lucky in having more than one library within easy walking distance but by the time they were 9, we would have sent them off there on their own to get books / sit and read / participate in the scheme if they wanted to.

Presumably your DD's holiday away with her dad was to somewhere non English speaking? Otherwise, couldn't he just have treated her to a few books to read while they were away?

However, here we are at the beginning of term and your DD hasn't managed to do something that she was asked to do over the holidays. Yes, it would be polite to send a short note to the teacher to say that due to unusual circumstances, your DD has not completed the task. There isn't really anything that the teacher can do about it, though and as already said, your DD is unlikely to be the only one.

@MarchingFrogs yes non English speaking but DD has plenty of books at her dads house so taking 2 wouldn't have been a problem. Unfortunately I can't choose what he decides to do but I suppose I'm a bit pissed off that he left it all to me to deal with knowing I was having a pretty major op and would not be at my best of anywhere near it.

And to previous posters yes I get that DD needs to 'step up' to be responsible for her homework but she is only 9. A typical 9 who hates homework as every other 9 year old does.

And to the PP who thought it should be easier to get DD to read as both me and my mum are both currently housebound. I wish it were so simple. But thanks for your thoughts. I hadn't missed the point at all, rather we are all currently in rather unexpected difficult circumstances. Including DD

I do however appreciate everybody responding, thank you.