Reception: Is it usual to get homework?

[fedupandisolated]

Just wondering as my DS has just changed schools recently (due to us moving across country). His new school seems nice (and more importantly he appears happy) but every Friday he brings homework home - only one set so far as he only started last week. I was a bit surprised as his last school didn't do this - he's only in Reception. DS did not want to do this willingly and I had to try and find little bits of time in order to get him to practice reading words etc. As far as I am aware he sits and does this willingly in school. We have done the "homework" but he didn'really want to do it. In his last school we just had a "Book at Bedtime" which we chose each morning for him to enjoy each evening.

Yes, this is quite normal..Not usually the teacher's idea, but school policy - schools are under a lot of pressure to do this.

can be

as long as it isn't too onerous, although if he does fight it or it upsets him I wouldn't make him do it tbh

when DS was getting reading homework home in reception I spoke to the teacher and told her that at that moment I thought it wasn't right for DS to push him as he seemed to be fighting against it rather than enjoying and she agreed that primary was about 'learning to enjoy learning' and that my gut feeling that it was too much was right

'fraid so. No doubt due to some stupid government or Ofsted target. They won't be happy until they've taken all the joy out of learning.

Ds started reception in Jan and has homework on a Friday to be handed in Monday. His school is brilliant so I haven't made a fuss - and they do their best to make it simple and easy. Comparing the volume of liquids in differently sized containers, finding patterns around the home, that sort of thing. Also brings home a reading book every night, changed once or twice a week.

I agree Twiglett and, certainly here in Scotland, homework cannot be enforced. In other words, if the parents/child do not want to be involved in homework there is nothing the school can do.

At our school Reception children probably get more homework than any other year - because they teach them the phonic sounds in the first term and they have a new sound (and associated worksheet) to do every night, plus a reading book. It is a pita to do (especially if they are tired when still getting used to being at school all day) but it is worth it as they nearly all can read quite well by the end of the year.

Don't do it. They can't make you.

Last year in reception Ds had 8 words to learn to sight read, 2 reading books, a library book and one sheet on "number" work for home work each week.
It never took more than 10 minutes, I just got him in a routine that we did it as soon as he got it and it was done then. He never objected that much about it tbh. I was probably lucky. Now in year one he 3 reading books, 8 spellings and a library book plus maths a week.

Don't do it. They can't make you.

dd is in reception.
Atm she has a reading book each night, a literacy sheet on a Tuesday and a Thursday, a task book on a wednesday (she has to independently write 3 sentences using 3 of the keywords) and a maths sheet for the weekend.
I think it's quite a lot..although it is much less than when ds was in reception.

What I said!

my DS was getting 6 words per week, plus two reading books each week, plus the occasional number puzzle. He is a summer born boy and it was such a fight to get him to do it that we didn't bother more often than not. He's only now just settling in to the routine of homework and is 2/3 the way through year 1.

blooming heck troutpout; that is a lot

There is no evidence at all that homework 9apart from reading practice) has any impact at all on learning in the early years. Schools only do it because parents want it. Nobody likes it. If we all refuse to do it, they'll stop giving it.

Thanks for that folks. I did do it this week as I didn't want to be seen as a bad mother who doesn't make time with her child to do the work set. This first lot is due in tomorrow - he had a sheet which asked him to identify and colour in the objects beginning with the letter "J". All fine and DS identified them with no probs - however, the pictures included along with a "jelly", "jam" and " jellyfish" a van and a car - no prizes for guessing which pictures DS coloured in

DC school doesn't do hwork until Y1, thank goodness. They do have reading books, but that's flexible (doesn't have to be read every night, for instance).

at some of these posts.

DS2 is in FS2; he has a reading book changed about once a week, a sheet of 6-8 words to learn changed ditto.

Spellings start in yr 1. DD is in yr 2 and has homework on a Friday - last week it was to make an Easter card so hardly onerous.

my neighbour has written to her LO's school saying she doesn't want any hoemwork until Yr4

dd1 gets 6 words a week to learn
book gets changed twice a week or so
she gets a couple of new phonic letters to do

but it is all based on play - you cut the words out and play snap, the phonic letters are on colouring in sheets

and also, one week she was too tired to do it so didn't and the teacher wasn't bothered, said never to force them as reception was to get them to enjoy school and forcing would defeat the object

(and at parents' evening this week, teacher said she was "well above average on her reading and writing" [preen])

not that I am bothered [liar]

We just get a reading book - usually ds2 will have already read the first half to someone and we either re-read or finish off. No worksheets/words or measuring.