Punitive home learning policy from year 1 upwards

[Pachamama2017]

Hi there,
My daughter loved school until she started year 2 this year. They had a newly appointed teacher who also has a senior leadership role. Since September she has been crying a lot both at bedtime and just before going in because she 'doesn't want to go' and she 'doesn't like learning' (in spite of the fact that she spent most of the summer asking when she could start learning in y2). I got the impression that there had been a significant increase in pressure in terms of workload and difficulty, my daughter was given homework for the half-term break and came back on the first day of term to a spelling test. I have also since discovered that any children (y1 upwards) will be held in at breaktime if they don't complete homework. I met with the teacher to discuss my daughters feelings twds school and to highlight how such approaches potentially contribute. She completes her hmwk quickly and she hasn't been 'punished' but I don't like that they are essentially threatening 5+ years old. Surely such a punitive approach is counterproductive to creating a low-anxiety environment in which children can thrive? My concerns fell flat as the teacher staunchly defended the policies but her justifications were target based 'meeting literacy and numeracy expectations' etc and it seems that the well-being of young children had not figured in the formation of these policies.
So, has anyone else experienced similar policies in KS1/lower KS2?
How did you deal with it?
Any other thoughts?
Thanks in advance!

It does seem harsh but it depends on the nature of the homework. Endless worksheets? Naah. Anybody in my class not doing their reading or maths catch up? They’ll be doing it in school. Sorry. Once kids fall behind they find it very hard to catch up again. Don’t want your kid to miss a play? Get them to do their home learning.

I do agree kids should do their homework.
But sometimes it just doesnt fit with their activities.
DS1 has spelling test yr3 on a thurs. this is also instrument day. So on Wed we have afterschool club till around 5pm then later music practice and spellings. Luckily spellings are too easy and we basically just test dc knows the right spelling.
I wouldnt want dc kept in but it would incentivise some kids/parents who never do it.
However as i have described spelling practice there will be dc who spend an hour over the week and still get few right.
Homework seems to be a 1 size fits all. In that dc1 really should mainly be doing maths, but instead should be reading x times a week.
I think it's important to do what you know your child is weaker at.

Kids that don’t read at home don’t achieve expected levels by the end of the year and start the next year behind their peers. And so it continues. It’s 15 minutes a day. Anyone in my class not doing it will do it in school. Most of the parents are grateful for this and many many children get the message quite quickly.

Learning spellings and having tests is rubbish and research shows it’s generally ineffective. Better to teach spelling strategies in school.
Maths catch up where children need an extra bit of practise at home to be ready for the next lesson works much better.

You clearly endorse and practise such a punitive policy and, sadly, like my dd teacher, overlook my main concern: the emotional wellbeing of young children and school-related anxiety. I know there are targets and expectations but at what cost are these to be met? Surely a reward-based approach to completing homework would be much healthier and, therefore, more effective. I know my dd is instilled with a sense of fear over a breaktime detention but should a 6 year old be made to feel this way? She'd be equally eager if she'd get her name moved up a board or a house point etc.

Surely a reward-based approach to completing homework would be much healthier and, therefore, more effective.

Surely children shouldn't be doing homework just because they will be rewarded by the teacher in some way. The reward should be intrinsic in that they improve their learning, don't fall behind in class and therefore enjoy their time in school more.

As far as I'm concerned, 6 yr olds shouldn't be doing homework. That just ends, full stop.
I agree with you OP.

It’s ridiculous. There is no need for homework in Primary School in general and Infant School in particular. Is there actually any research that shows it has any positive benefits? None that I am aware of.

Anybody in my class not doing their reading or maths catch up? They’ll be doing it in school

So the Child gets punished and misses valuable recreational time during a stressful School day for something that is not their fault? The Parent ultimately decides whether homework is a good use of time at home not the Child.

If they set homework then making sure it's done is sensible. Ds hated homework and when he found at infants that all they did was not give him a sticker (he hated stickers anyway) then it was even harder to do it.

It then made it much harder for him to realise it really was compulsory when he was older, because they said all the same things about "must" be done, but suddenly he got into trouble for not doing it. He found that very unfair because "how should he know that this time they meant it."

However if I had a say then there would be no homework other than possible tables and spelling for primary age.

Playtime is really important for kids. I think there are some studies, or maybe just articles, don't recall, showing how canceling break time for homework is counterproductive. Have a look.

Your child should be reading at home. That's it. And she is, isn't she? That's all I would want from my Y2 children.

Young children have no control over their homework . They can't make their parents listen to them read so punishing them achieves nothing.

I hate this. Our school started doing this from juniors (yr 3) and my child who is generally well behaved and does homework lived in fear of forgetting it/accidently not doing it and being kept in. She was so scared of it that it really did affect her during the week.

I honestly dont think adults see this knock on effect sometimes.

I think learning and school should be positive, especially in infants, and punitive approaches are wrong - especially kids breaktime and lunchtime. If theyre struggling with school thats the only break they get from being told what to do/told off/directed.

It used to be that childrent hat hadnt read at home would read to a ta or parent helper in the school day which I much prefered. And reading I believe is the only real homework thst makes a difference.

Being kept in because you forgot it was the day ti write out spellings seems unfair for a young child, and disproportionaly will punish those with disorganised/disinterested parents.

At secondary a child has more understanding and can be responsible for their own work. This is v v wrong in primary, especially infants.

"The reward should be intrinsic in that they improve their learning, don't fall behind in class and therefore enjoy their time in school more"
And when, exactly, do you think they should learn this Artie? I've met many a uni student who can't take responsibility for their own learning... Let alone a ks1 pupil!! The onus is not on the child to make their learning environment an enjoyable one but on those who manage it and surely a hardline punitive approach is counterproductive to what teachers ultimately want to achieve if it results in children disliking and/or being worried about school.

Thank you back for good. Like you, I'm not sure I see the benefit in home learning. Primarily because they are literally drilled with Maths and English - taking up a good 2/3s of their daily learning and I want to continue this when they come home? As a result of government policy the curriculum is somewhat lacking in creativity and breadth with a mere token gesture towards a whole host of other subjects (that could be used to reinforce maths and English anyway). Time with family and down time is essential for children and whilst I strongly believe in education I think there is educational value in a range of non-curriculum activities that I would like my children to enjoy and that enable us to have fun together as a family. I don't disagree with hmwk per se, I just don't think it should be compulsory or sanctioned.

So interesting to see that many disagree with this approach...my dd school led me to believe that its common practice (I know it's not) and that I was one of a limited few who has an issue with it.

https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/evidence-summaries/teaching-learning-toolkit/homework-primary/

I think it's wrong to punish a child for something they have limited control over. At 6yrs old it is parents who take responsibility for homework / reading being done. Why should a child be punished for their parents not helping them with their homework (for whatever reason).

There are a lot of ‘shoulds’ that are not possible with the education budget. Kids are all different so some policies will help them but hinder others.

Maybe doing the repetitive and boring tasks in school (eg times tables, spellings) would be better - because not all parents will have the language/ability/time to do them? And then giving them interesting extension stuff to go home with (eg word search, crossword?)

DD is in year 2, she gets homework every Friday to be returned the following Wednesday. Usually a maths sheet and some English. The only "punishment" they get is if the hw isn't in on time it won't get marked until the week after. They also have to read at home at least 3 times a week. There is no punishment if they don't, but each time they read to an adult they get a mark and once they reach a certain amount of points they get a certificate. These marks can also be earned in school as well because as PP's have said, if the child doesn't have anyone willing to hear them read at home or who won't sign their book they're limited to what they can do at 5/6/7 years old!

My children have a home life that is calm and conducive to learning. They have space to work, there is always a time made for me or their father to listen to them read. They have every opportunity to do what is being asked of them at school. My childhood was different. My mum didn't have brilliant mental health and I was pretty much left to my own devices when it came to my education. There were no desks or clear surfaces for me to do my homework. She never had time to listen to me read. Resources were never provided. The older I got the easier it was as I could go to the library and got a paper round to earn a bit of money for pens and pencils. But as a child in infants I couldn't do any of that. Unfortunately some children are in that situation today and punishing them for not having supportive parents is completely wrong in my opinion.

I am at a loss about how to deal with it. I don't think the school are going to budge. Her hmwk doesn't take her long at the minute, apart from reading three times a week. Books have always been a part of her life and she enjoys reading. They haven't made this compulsory but in order to get a token they need to have read school allocated books three times, which is another shame as I think reading should be about enjoyment and engagement not re-reading the same books in school and at home... But I guess they feel the need to suck the fun out of that too.
My main worry is how they are going to approach end of year Sats. I thought I'd get around that by taking a very relaxed approach as I strongly feel these tests do not help children learn and are in no way indicative of their ability. However, I am concerned I will no longer be able to do this if they adopt a similar hardline approach to their preparation.

There has be an enormous amount of research conducted that homework has no impact of a primary age child's learning (other than reading)
At the school I teach at we no longer set regular homework. We sometimes set optional projects or activities but with no pressure, which we have found more beneficial for the children.
My daughters school puts pressure on ridiculous amounts of work (still primary) these have no benefit for my daughters learning, just causes stress when not needed. I hate it and so does she, which ends up we her starting it and me finishing it

I hate this sort of thing. It caused my eldest no end of stress and anxiety and she had us to always help her. We always completed the homework. She is still very anxious around school work and she's in her teens now. I suspect due to the fact that nothing is ever good enough, it must ALWAYS have green pen on it explaining how it could be better.

I've worked in schools and listened to children looking through their books and being thoroughly demoralised by all the green. I'm not saying they should be left to stagnate, I just wonder what effect all these policies are having on the mental health of our children.

Oh gosh thats another bugbear of mine - always being shown how to improve makes you feel youve never done enough, or never completed it... you cant just have a "well done, I liked x or y!"