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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

Is it normal for primary school's never to send any homework at all ?

32 replies

Imnotok · 19/09/2008 14:53

I have dc in

Y6
Y4
Y2
Y1

and they never fetch any homework home at all ,ds in y6 has occasionally fetched a worksheet home and dd2 had reading recovery last year but thats it .

They do send letters home each term asking us to help dc with whatever they are doing that term ,I just find it a little strange .

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Caoimhe · 19/09/2008 14:55

NO homework is definitely odd - especially in Year 6 with SATS coming up.

Overmydeadbody · 19/09/2008 14:56

Have you asked the teachers and the school why not?

Original poster

Imnotok · 19/09/2008 14:57

Well I thought this I am doing lots with him times tables and some other stuff and we are using bitesize and education city ,luckily he is bright and seems to do ok but I do worry for my dd who has some SN.

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Original poster

Imnotok · 19/09/2008 14:59

I am going to ask the HT when I see her next ,the school is having a bad time with high staff turnover and a bad ofsted report but I don't see how it is going to get any better if they are not making steps to improve .

OP posts:

RupertTheBear · 19/09/2008 15:01

Homework is a legal requiremnet in primary schools. We have to set it even though many members of staff don't believe in it!

bigTillyMint · 19/09/2008 15:19

I wish all schools did no homework - DS (7 - Y3) has maths homework that has so far taken an hour this week, and still not finished

terramum · 19/09/2008 16:22

RupertTheBear - could you point me in the direction of the law re schools and homework...curious to read more on this. Ta.

Spidermama · 19/09/2008 16:24

OUr school doesn't give out much homework. It's a blessed relief if you ask me. Home time is home time and I don't want school encroaching any further into it than it already does.

OrmIrian · 19/09/2008 16:30

2 and I normal. 4 and 6 not. But it is early in the term I suppose.

FluffyMummy123 · 19/09/2008 16:31

Message withdrawn

Hulababy · 19/09/2008 16:37

Not usual IME, but sounds nice on the whole, although suprised there is no reading to do.

I like the idea. Mind you I would probably like to see a tiny bit in the upper years just to get them used to the idea - so secondary school workload didn't come as too big a shock.

NotQuiteCockney · 19/09/2008 16:38

From what I know, the science shows that homework in primary doesn't help, tbh.

RupertTheBear · 19/09/2008 18:46

Terramum - I have been trying to find out about it being a legal requirement becasue that is what our head has always told us. We set some every day - 10 minutes worth in KS1 and 20 mins in KS2. We try our hardest to make it fun, personally (I teach Y5) I set one reading homework and one talking homework per week, one set of spellings and two written tasks.
However, from what I have just found out from the internet it seems that these are the government guidelines, not the law as I believed. I guess our head has made a decision to follow the guidelines and told us it's the law! That will teach me for not finding out for myself. So I suppose it's up to each individual school whether or not they follow the guidelines.

LynetteScavo · 19/09/2008 18:58

DS had no homework last year, when he was in Y4

I was told "school is for work, home is for playing and bike riding, etc."

MrsWeasley · 19/09/2008 19:00

One of our teachers said that her old school never gave homework. it was all done in school.

AbbeyA · 19/09/2008 19:02

I think that all primary schools should have a 'no homework' policy-apart from reading.

GetOrfMoiLand · 19/09/2008 19:03

DD's old primary in Devon had 20 mins homework every night (grim)

Here new primary in Gloucestershire had a policy of no homework (so don't know where they stood re legal requirement). This was in Year 6 as well. It was a lot better. Very good school as well, and certainly didn't adversley affect the SATS.

Now at senior school about 5/6 bits of homework a week. To be honest she is not struggling at all with the transition.

Homework useless and utterly unnecessary at Primary level imo.

dinny · 19/09/2008 19:05

Imno, our school issue homework once a week in y1 and 2....more in juniors

Abbey, would you mind looking at my thread in "Bullying: Do I see the teacher?" - I think I remember you teach Y1?

GetOrfMoiLand · 19/09/2008 19:10

Agree totally with AbbeyA.

RuperttheBear - think that is rather shabby of your headteacher to insist that homework is a legal requirement, I would be a bit pissed off if I were you!

I think there is rather too much fuss re transition from primary to secondary re homework. DD's homework requirements were easy to manage, and there was a lot of support from her teachers etc. I don't think her having had homework 'practice' at primary level would have helped in any way at all.

AbbeyA · 19/09/2008 19:27

I have looked at your thread dinny.I supply teach and so do all ages from reception to year 6.
I am against homework mainly from the point of view of a parent. I have 3 boys and it was hard work;blood sweat and tears to do the homework-mainly mine!!
A lot of the homework is down to the support of the parents. It seems to me, as a teacher, that it is very unfair. If a small child has a poor home background, with parents who either don't care or can't help, they can't compete with some of the work produced by the children with access to books, computers etc.
I have had to set homework and I have tried to make it interesting and fun. Work sheets can be deadly boring. I think it is much better for the parents to have time to play board games and card games. I think reading for enjoyment is important.Learning times tables is helpful.
It is perhaps a good idea to get them used to homework in the upper juniors and then it doesn't come as too much of a shock at secondary school.

seeker · 19/09/2008 19:28

There has been research (don't know where, sorry) that suggests that homework has no effect at all in primary school - apart from reading practice, which is vital. In my experience, schools only set it because it keeps middle class (sorry) parents happy. "Oh yes, we're so happy with One End Street Primary - little Tarquin is doing SOOO well. Do you know, they have more homework than St Ethetwistafriedas!"

AbbeyA · 19/09/2008 19:46

It is the one thing that always divides parents at meeting-those who want more and those who want less! I think homework is only set because parents want it. I am not even sure there is much of a case for upper juniors-it is quite nice to go to secondary school and feel grown up because homework is a novelty.

constancereader · 19/09/2008 19:50

Homework is such a waste of time, I would appreciate your situation.

slng · 19/09/2008 19:53

I wish we have no homework. DS1 is only in reception and we have homework Not that we take it very seriously .

andyrobo237 · 19/09/2008 20:04

I have DD in Yr1 - we get one reading book a week - usually read it twice in the week. Also have 15 spellings on a Monday to do as class test on a Friday and a two sided maths worksheet on a Fri which we send back on a Monday. Not too much - probably spend 5-10 mins a night either reading the book or practising spellings. Worksheet is either split over sat/sun or done in one stint, depending upon DD's attention span!

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