'Family' homework

[Potatocycle]

Slightly put out to discover that (alongside spellings and times tables) the DCs' school is now setting homework tasks intended as a 'collaboration' for the whole family, which is optional but heavily encouraged.

As a family we are engaged with schoolwork, don't believe education stops at the classroom door etc but this feels like a bit of an imposition. DH and I both work full-time so weekends are our family time.

DS1 is pretty enthused though so hopefully it won't be too much of a battle!

I guess it depends on what the task is?

In the past I’ve set optional family tasks such as help set the table, ask your parents about their day, play a game with anyone in the family. Just something easy going but doesn’t need to be completed if the family has a lot on.

@Hiddenvoice There are eight tasks to pick from, due by the end of the month, variously writing/drawing/model-making around this half term's topic.

Aww that is quite a bit and quite hands on for the parents. I understand the teacher wants it to be family bonding time but it’s difficult when you’re working and juggling other things!

I guess it’s great that your child is excited about it, so I would try not to make it too big and to complete part of it each week- so if it’s model making them break it down into smaller, more manageable chunks or set aside one afternoon at the weekend and try complete one task.

Is the teacher an NQT? Bless their bushy- tailed enthusiasm. They're all fresh from being drilled in the latest paedagogical fashions. Their energy will be worth it in other instances.

If it's not an NQT, I have no explanation.

At least they've given you plenty of notice.

I think the only homework set in primary school should be learning times tables by rote, reading a few pages a night, and learning poems by heart. everything else is rubbish imo (have 3 children all graduated from university now - hated homework)

The whole family thing to me is just another way to add to mother's work loads - but I may be extreme. I don't think so though. Most fathers just treat this stuff as guff. I still remember my child's lovely private school where they had to present their projects (aquaduct design) in roman togas - cue multiple multiple emails in the class email on how best to make a roman toga. One parent - he was German (I'm in the US) finally replied "please stop sending these emails to my work account. I don't care about roman togas" loved him.

The best homework ever set my children was my son in a jesuit high school - he had to ask his parents for a task over the half term and complete it - and report on it. He dusted and reshelved all our books - was great.

I once got so irritated by the school’s demands on our family time that I sent the kids to school with a piece of cloth, a sewing kit and some buttons, with a covering note explaining that if I was expected to do school tasks with them at home, I expected the school to kindly reciprocate by giving them time to do a ‘home’ task (learning how to sew on a button) during the school day.

The head got the message.

@LiterallyOnFire no, this is a whole school policy!

They will be expecting Ofsted this year so maybe that has something to do with it

DCs primary did this and we never did any of them, it all became an obnoxious pissing competition between several "top families" so we left them too it 😂

This used to drive me to distraction when my dc were in primary school, I hated it. It's like bringing home the class teddy and having to write a journal and take photos print them off and stick in the book. Urghhh glad I'm past all that shit now

I suppose at least they acknowledge that parents will probably help, as opposed to setting the child homework to make a model, and then half the children bring things in clearly done by the parents.

But no, I just wouldn't do this. I'd support my DD to do it by providing the supplies and helping with some ideas, but I wouldn't go along with any kind of feeling that it was my homework as much as hers.

I wouldn't like, homework should be something that child can do by themselves, the vast majority of the time. DD sometimes has homework that's needed parent involvement but just things like practicing a foreign language conversation or for their work life module she had to ask us questions about work, budgeting, and I had to write a letter of recommendation for her 'job application'. But at least those last ones were actually useful.

The best homework ever set my children was my son in a jesuit high school - he had to ask his parents for a task over the half term and complete it - and report on it. He dusted and reshelved all our books - was great

Brilliant homework! DD's ethics teacher once set their class homework to do as much housework as possible for a week, then report back with what they did.

Homework at primary is optional so just ignore it.

I'm very surprised with your thoughts about the homework. In my country kids have homework from their first year in school every day. The homework includes maths, mother language, science(natural history in the early ages), learning poems by heart, learning new paragraph in the guidebook.
Usually kids do it themselves. It's their responsibility not parent's. If the kid has any problems he may ask parents to explain him/her paragraph one more time or reread the guidebook one more time.

@rujik2 yes, DH and I are always happy to help with any explanations but ultimately would like our kids to complete the homework independently.

For the new process, I've told DS1 that we will help with materials and a few starter ideas but he needs to choose tasks that don't require a load of adult input

One of the best things about youngest leaving Primary this year...
No more Parental Craft Competitions (aka homework, World Book Day, Egg decorating etc etc.)

My DC’s school do this and it has been good actually. They are able to further explore something they learn in class and are interested in learning more about so we have done museum visits as a family. Or they get to be creative. Or make a video. Or follow a recipe. They submit 3 pieces of work each half-term and have a day that they all share them with their class (in small groups I think). There are always 8 or 9 options to choose from so avoid anything that’s too disruptive for the family.

It's tricky, because for every parent saying "this is an imposition on family time", there's another saying "can you give us some materials to give some structure to the holidays so they're not just sitting in front of a screen 10 hours a day?" which is what it sounds like they're doing. And if they didn't push it quite heavily, those children it's aimed at wouldn't engage unless they had to.

Also, the take a teddy bear home thing sounds like a safeguarding/wellbeing check on all the kids? The majority of whom are fine and the teachers know this, but the ones that aren't this gives a peek into the routines/lifestyle and also general environment the child is being raised in?

I hated the " family" homework . I juggled 3 kids and activities and worked full-time so the cat listened to reading while I did food prep ( I was listening for the stumbling over words). We did spelling and times tables etc on the car runs to/from activities. The teddy coming home was lucky the hamster didn't eat him as he was dumped on top of fangs cage and forgotten about by a child....it was dumped beside the couch for the week and then staged photos were taken ...make something... nope! Not happening as child not in the slightest interested and hubby too involved . Help out ...well chores are already allocated..,not changing that up!

It's adding to mother's workload and pressure and is an imposition that should be gently resisted.

Why on earth would learning a poem by rote be better than some of these suggestions? What an odd PP.

God forbid anyone has to spend quality time with their child helping them with their homework!!! 🤦‍♀️
I sit with my 13 year old while he does his homework and even spent the last three years helping/encouraging my eldest with his economics degree. Why do some of you think education is all down to schools? And why did some of you have kids if you don't want to spend time with them?

No it’s not a safeguarding check. I’m a teacher and have done this with younger kids , my kids have done this and we also have a mascot at Brownies that’s bright home in the same fashion. None of the ‘staff’ are safeguarding checking. It’s just about getting the child to have a bit of fun and present it somehow.

We had this in yr r, lots of extra “optional” bits…. We didn’t usually do them unless my son wanted to which he mostly didn’t! We always do reading, spellings etc so I’m just nit interested in extra things

We had the teddy bear in yr. Write a few words in its diary. Draw a picture of if etc. Safeguarding wasn’t a word used back then!!!

My DC did lots of dance and music at primary. Plus Brownies. Family homework wasn’t particularly welcome. Our junior school gave no routine homework at all. None. I still think maths practice and reading and writing should have been set. What they did was set research projects. For 8 year olds upwards. Needles to say, many failed to do anything much as all. Other projects were done by the competitive parents! Largely ridiculous until DC have been taught how to research and filter info and present it. None of which they did.

We are lucky in primary they get a list of twenty tasks. So my son age ten, has to make me a cup of tea, put on a wash, make his own bed, brush the floor, put away laundry etc.

I love our principal she has been doing similar lists since the school began. She also works with parents of there is something in particular they want their child to do.