Homework and Spelling Tests

[CisMyArse]

Does your DC's school give homework and spelling tests? I rather like the thought of them. My DC's school has had both for years and my DD's likes the revision and testing tbh. A change in headship has resulted in both being scrapped entirely because it made some children feel bad themselves if they weren't able to progress.

I see the Head's point but to not even attempt such standards is a poor-show.

Make sure your child has extension work from the school if they are academically strong.

It’s usually less because they make children feel bad and more because they don’t have an impact on attainment.

If you’re children enjoy being tested, then there’s nothing stopping you testing them yourself.

If your dd is doing good, not having homework is actually a good thing, imo. If she likes to do some work, you can set them yourself at her level, or she can do some workbooks, online works, whatever she likes. Better than spending time doing something she can already do easily.

Homework at Secondary has been proven to make a little impact on a child's learning.
At Primary level, it makes very little impact on their learning.

Thanks everyone. I appreciate your input.

I've already downloaded the entire bank of spelling from the school website tonight so DD can start on her next stage.

She loves her projects so I know that this is something that she'll probably pursue in her spare time.

I value homework in terms of getting my DC into a routine of self- learning. Surely, in primary, it gets children used to working outside
School and helps
Them transition towards
Revision for exams?

Homework... yep (and I roll my eyes every time it comes home cos it's a pain in the arse parental showing off competition). Spellings - we get a list that aren't tested, we don't have to learn but it would be nice to put it on the fridge for the week... so they get a little trip home, holiday on the fridge and then a little trip back into school.

We have spelling tests - completely pointless. DC's are both very good at learning them get 100% every time. Forget them within a week. Eldest (Y2) has 1 piece of homework. Doesn't seem necessary but doesn't take long so not bothered.

I value the children doing some regular work from early primary. It can be reading, online work, work books, anything. It will set the routine.
But I think school home work is sometimes pointless, unless it's properly differentiated.

I value homework in terms of getting my DC into a routine of self- learning

Interesting, 'cos I detest homework as it removes any routine of self-learning, by saying "these are things you need to revise" as opposed to actual self-learning where you realise yourself the things you need to revise, or follow the things you are interested in.

Particularly with spelling tests and similar which are undifferentiated by their very nature - everyone taking the test has to use the same words - then it's extremely inequitable the child who can spell the words without revision gets the time to pursue other learning activities and still gets them all right, when a child you might struggle diverts their time to learning the spellings for a test that all research shows little or no benefit from.

Particularly with spellings where most research shows the words learnt only in the test are still mispelt in free writing a short time after.

I guess I should add that DC are both keen readers and naturally do lots of fairly academic things at home so homework encroaches on stuff they'd be doing anyway. I guess in families where children wouldn't do anything at home (and this isn't a judgement - lots of children are sporty and just have other interests) it might set the routine of doing things independently in their home environment.

At one point last year I did threaten to send my 6 year old in with every joke book she owned in revenge if they sent another "make a model" homework home (I got on well with the teacher at the time).

Spellings - well I guess they work with DD1 who has an incredible memory and often just needs a gentle prod to spell a word correctly and won't forget it after - but she's a rare child to have that kind of memory (I'm very similar - photographic memory so picked up the good spelling from just reading and seeing words correctly in print constantly god help us now the internet's taken over on that one )

It usually ends up with a right squabble match in our house though as I'm helping DD1 do the homework and she discusses what to write, as the younger one wanders by and "helpfully" offers suggestions like "you need be careful with was - is not got a o in it" and the eldest one gets more and more pissed off at the backseat driver in the combination (it's bloody hilarious to watch though) and eventually they come to blows!

Fascinating graph, DrMadeline!

I hate project homework where it’s basically a prize for whichever family can spend the most hours creating a Taj Mahal. Not interested in competing, and even DD doing a basic DIY job takes longer than we would want to spend on homework.

What I’d like to see from the school is some sense of what they’ve been working on that week, so I can chat to DD about it and identify any areas in which she’d benefit from a bit of extra practice at home. Some optional homework linked to the week’s topics would also be useful.

I don’t think it’s possible to make spellings homework equally worthwhile for each child.

When DD was in Y2 there were three spelling groups, and all that happened was that parents of children in the lower spelling groups requested the harder spellings from other parents via the WhatsApp parent group. Top group spellings weren’t hard enough to challenge the brighter kids either.

DD’s first set of Y3 spellings were so ridiculously easy she didn’t practise them at all, which meant that, despite spelling ten words correctly, she only got 9/10 because she wrote ‘once’ instead of the expected ‘wants’!

Agree with Letitgo. Spelling homework for most able is pointless. They can spell anything. But for children who struggles, it's just make their life even more miserable. Best way is, as a lot of decent teacher suggests, learn it in the class.

They are primary age children we have the unhappiest children in Europe let her relax out of school. My child was lucky enough to start her education in an European country at the age of 6 and the emphasis until the age of 9/10 is to create a love of learning. Home work took 5 minutes per night and was defo not spellings.