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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

How much is too much Reception homework

55 replies

Notquitecrazyyet · 22/01/2020 22:05

A bit of back ground. My 4 year old daughter Started a prep school in September. We hadn’t really ever considered private education before she started nursery there. (The only nursery with places when she was a baby) it was just a natural move with your friends transition and it worked out cheaper than paying for breakfast club/lunch, after school care and they Have swimming lessons, ballet, forest school, trips music inclusive.

However now I’m not sure I’ve made the right decision. She’s at school 8:30-5 (out of the house 7;45-6). Each night she is expected to read a reading book. (two/three sent home on the weekend). Learn spellings, tricky words, she has number and letter flash cards. Also lots of online things additional to this to “try”. I must also make clear I’m really happy with the school it’s just the homework.

So her life is school-tea-homework-shower-bed. She’s so tired all the time Which then makes her grumpy and emotional . I just feel that she spends enough time at school without extras. I also have a busy job, so when I walk in at 6 I have tea to do, children to tend, animals to feed, washing etc.

My 11 year old daughter went to our local primary and has just moved to the local high school and she has never had 1/4 the amount of homework.

So my questions are these:

How much homework do your reception children have?

Do you think that is too much or the right amount?

Any tips for finding time to do it?

What do you you think I should do?

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adviceneededon · 22/01/2020 22:09

We've never done it. Only started this year with the eldest as she needs to prepare for the transition to secondary. But they always send it home with my youngest. It's one book a week which we read and record. Then it's spellings and a two page piece of homework. Only time she will do the homework (which is one page of math and one of English) is if this replaced with a project which includes lots of cutting and sticking. Otherwise it goes in the bin. School know my position and have never pushed me on it. I actually think they were quite surprised when my eldest walked in with hers after the first week back.

eurochick · 22/01/2020 22:11

I think any homework is too much at that age. We chose a school where we were told by the headmaster when we visited that there was no homework. There was homework from the beginning of reception😡

Our daughter is with a nanny after school who often does it, luckily, as there is no time when we get home and she is tired by then. We had some success with doing it at breakfast time but she really didn't want to do it and neither did we.

I believe studies don't show there is any academic advantage from homework at this age. I wish they would just let them be little.

Original poster

Notquitecrazyyet · 22/01/2020 22:15

That’s funny, we were told that too. That there would be the odd bit of optional homework.

Ummmm..... it didn’t pan out that way 🤷‍♀️😂

I couldn’t agree more. I just want her to play and relax when she’s at home

OP posts:

Original poster

Notquitecrazyyet · 22/01/2020 22:16

I wish I was that brave. Well done for standing your ground

OP posts:

Charley50 · 22/01/2020 22:17

I agree that homework is unnecessary at that age too, and I think I also saw studies saying it doesn't have a positive impact (until secondary school actually). When my DS was little he loved school and was very bright and engaged with learning, but he got really upset about homework. So we mainly just did reading, well I read to him, and his times tables verbally.

Ellapaella · 22/01/2020 22:17

My third child is in reception. My eldest child is now 17 and I can see a big increase in the amount of homework my younger two get compared to what he had at primary school.

My 5 year old gets 3-4 books a week to read at home, until recently these were just picture books but he has just progressed to books with simple words and 3-4 word sentences which he is enjoying.
We don't get any spellings to do. We are asked to do 2 or 3 simple homework tasks over the weekend which takes around 30 minutes max. This might be writing a short sentence, looking at numbers and counting out objects and looking at number bonds and the different permutations of numbers up to 10. Basically just reinforcing what they are doing at school.
We have an app called tapestry so we can add any extras onto that, often if we've done some baking or been out for the day we will put something about our day on that.
If we play a board game at home I will also put that on the app to demonstrate how it relates to what they are learning at school.
My 5 year old is at school from 8-4.30 three days a week when I'm at work and finishes usual time at 3.30 on the other two days.
I think it's an acceptable amount of work at home - it's only really to reinforce what the teachers have been doing with them.

Charley50 · 22/01/2020 22:18

Oh and I forgot to add, he is doing very well academically (doing GCSEs currently).

Muddlingalongalone · 22/01/2020 22:20

Reception Dd2 gets 1 reading book a week with request to read min 3x per week & 5 spellings (from the start of this term but easy words).
I think reading is enough and we read every night anyway.
As a second child she's used to dd1 doing spellings & adores them. I used to have to make them up for her when she was only 3!
Yr1 should be interesting as head explicitly said no homework apart from reading no benefit to it when dd1 was there....
We are home around 6 too. Kids chill & eat til around 6:45, bath, reading on my bed, being read to, teeth & in bed for around 8. I'd prefer it to be earlier but there just isn't time!!

Wildorchidz · 22/01/2020 22:21

Is it a particularly academic prep?

Pipandmum · 22/01/2020 22:22

Any homework is too much at that age or even for some years to come (bar a book or two a week from y2).

cocomelon23 · 22/01/2020 22:22

My year 5 doesnt have anywhere near that amount and never has done.

lilgreen · 22/01/2020 22:23

That’s a very long day for a 4 year old. Are you able to collect her after the school day? 3.30?

lilgreen · 22/01/2020 22:26

You do need to listen to her read at least 3 times a week at that age. Then just do what I Class as normal parenting: counting up the stairs, writing numbers and letters at home, talking about the world, seasons, months, weather etc

Pyracantha1 · 22/01/2020 22:30

My son attends a private school also and is in Reception. He gets a reading book every night and is expected to spend a minimum of 10 minutes reading. So five books in total. He is on oxford level 6 so much advanced for his age therefore the books can have upto 20 pages, this takes us about 15 minutes to finish. He is not given any spelling but has a mathletics account which he can choose to access if he wishes.

My son enjoys the reading and never complains. I actually think he would love more homework as he often asks me to work on maths with him or help him spell certain words. This leads me to believe that it is totally child dependent. Some children absolutely love learning at this stage and want more yet other children want a little less. There's no right or wrong.

Craftycorvid · 22/01/2020 22:36

Any homework at 4 is too much: she’s a baby 🙁

littlejalapeno · 22/01/2020 22:36

Learning soft skills through play is more important at that age! Poor little mite, if you’re not happy with the amount of homework (I certainly would not be) then tell them and stand your ground like PP

fruitpastille · 22/01/2020 22:37

I think it's too much, I think just reading is enough. We had a phonics book which had new sounds stuck in each week but there was nothing to write and they weren't tested. Can she do a bit at after school club?

evilharpy · 22/01/2020 22:46

My reception child only gets reading. They get one book a week (although we get two as we have a bookworm) and they're expected to read three times over the week, whether it's this book or something else from home or the library.

I'm more than happy to do the reading but if she started coming home with anything else I'm afraid it would be a no thank you.

Quackymum · 23/01/2020 00:22

That's a lot of homework. Our daughter is in reception and gets nothing but the reading books. Everyone gets two reading books which they can read once over the entire week. Nothing else.

HappyAsASandboy · 23/01/2020 00:42

My reception child goes to state primary.

He has a reading book or two in his book bag, with a diary to record reading with teachers/TA and with me if we do it but no one has pressured us to read/record.

He also has a plastic wallet in there with phonics sounds / tricky words in it. The newsletter encourages us to use these to spell out words and practise sounds, but again no one has actually asked/pressured.

He does get the books / phonics pack out a few times a week by his own decision. I don't suggest or prompt it as I quite like that he is choosing it himself sometimes.

HuloBeraal · 23/01/2020 01:36

It’s way too much (my kids go to a very academic London prep- in Reception they get reading, spellings and a couple of sheets over the weekend). And no homework over holidays. Just a long list of fiction books and an instruction to read, read, read.
However, I am home from work by half 4 so it’s easier to do the homework when they are less tired. Is there any way she can do some of it beforehand?

RainbowMum11 · 23/01/2020 01:56

DD6 is in Y2.
1 or 2 books a week (although she chooses her own books from home to read as well(, 1 set of words to read & practise spelling a week, sometimes some maths homework each week too.

BradleyPooper · 23/01/2020 01:57

Our school has very little homework, even my year 6 dd (aged 11) has one bit of maths homework a week, probably 20 minutes worth and that's it... they just don't think homework has benefits at that age. My year 10 dd (aged 15) at the same school has more, but only at weekends, and excellent study habits (that don't need to be developed aged 4) This article is interesting. Just read to her, encourage motor skills, creativity, imagination, playing with others etc.

Wombatstew · 23/01/2020 02:06

I find it interesting that on MN most people say home work is of little use during primary years but all the parents I know who are also teachers spend time out of school on homework. Possibly it's not the generic homework given at school but individualised to help their particular child. I know when DS was struggling with writing that he really improved when we practiced at home. I don't bother with homework school sets unless I feel he needs practice in that particular area.

Thethingswedoforlove · 23/01/2020 03:27

It stands to reason that the more a dc does at home the quicker they will progress with learning to read. But you as a oarent need to weigh up the individual circumstances of your dd’s life and decide what is best for her. Mine did quite a bit of tricky word/ phonic work 10 years ago in reception til they were fluent readers because we had time and they really wanted to (state primary). But then very little for the rest of primary. Learning to read was a huge priority and after that school was much more relaxed. Your dd days are long. So do what works best for her.

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