Would you be happy if your child only changed their reading book once a week and had no other homework?

[nappyaddict]

I know it's not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things but one of the schools we looked round the other day said they only change reading books once a week which didn't seem very much to me. They don't get any other homework (which I am happy about and is making me lean towards this school than the others) but when I have asked other people what happens at their school they either say they don't have homework but change their book a few times a week or they only change their book once a week but they have other homework aswell.

I'd be farking ecstatic

sounds good to me

we have plenty books in the house and a library every fortnight if we run out

I had a thread about this not too long ago. DD went on strike and refused to read any more reading scheme books. She was so sick of them. And they are turgid, so I couldn't honestly blame her. She loves reading (has a reading age 5 years ahead of her chronological age) and the farking reading scheme books were putting her off.

Our school allow you to change books every day my DS on the other hand has decided once a month is enough for him

I don't mind as I have a supply of reading books at home so we just read these.

I am in favour of no homework.

Quattro - do you think they shouldn't bring reading scheme books home at all then?

We get two once a week, and tbh dd is too tired to do more than that-she goes to after-school club until 6 three nights a week, has swimming on a tuesday until 6, and then just flops on a friday-she's only 4, and is perfectly content-we always read books that are a bit "old" for her as bedtime stories, and she chooses them, not me, (Jeeves and Wooster tonight!), so I don't see a massive problem with not forcing her to read a book when she is too tired and therefore make her hate reading.

I think once a week is fine actually, providing you supplement the reading at home. You quickly work out where they are and get more stimulating and interesting books for them to read.

It's a bit hitty-missy finding stuff that they like. I thought DD would love To Kill a Mockingbird but sadly not. She has a (slightly worrying) taste for MisLit - all those stories about horrific childhoods like Ugly. Also Alex Rider. Harry Potter is good because the books get more sophisticated as they get older.

Sorry haven't read whole thread but dd gets "homework" once a week, which is generally some kind of game etc matching stuff or whatever. Now she has been in reception for awhile she gets reading books, she has 2 in her bag, one reading scheme ort I think and one story book. These don't seem to change very often tbh she's had chicken little for 2 weeks now.

The ort book has changed from stage 4 book 1 to book 2, how exciting lol. DD is very enthusiastic about reading these books over and over, me not so. Took so long to actually get books, the least they could do is change them often.

another thing i wanted to ask is what do people think about doing handwriting practice at home? or should it only be reading at home?

I'd be happy. We have plenty of interesting books to read at home; I think one new "official" reading book from school a week is plenty.

One a week is not the end of the world, because they can always read/look at/share other books.

But I'd be happier with a school that said they'd send home a new book whenever the child was ready for one. Because a keen reader will want more than one a week, and a reluctant reader will not thrive on being pushed to read more than they can cope with.

My dd's school changes reading books when they are ready - sometimes more than once a week, sometimes less. The only problem with that (it sounds good) is that there are patchy weeks when some kids don't get read with in school so....

OTOH, parents can change storybooks, educational books, and extra reading books as often as they like. Which again works better for some kids than others.

we change as often as we like - when they have been finished

dd changes hers every day usually (y2)

No - wouldn't be happy with one a week. My daughter is in Y1 and goes through 4 reading books each week (Mon-Thurs) plus she has sound cards to practise key phonetics. She also learns around 12 words each week for a spelling test on Fridays. Her progress since September has been phenomenal. We were initially nervous about the extent of the homework but she is fine with it - takes around 30 minutes, 4 evenings each week.

nappyaddict you can do handwriting practice if you want to. There are tons of little books you can buy from WHSmiths etc. which give exercises on writing letters in the correct way. Or just get your dc to write letters to friends / use writing in other fun ways in games. I don't think you need it to be as homework.

sorry i actually meant do those of you who think school shouldn't set primary children homework apart from reading think they should or shouldn't set handwriting practice cos i know some schools set that aswell as reading.

NA, I still think that in a good school they should be doing enough handwriting practice in the day that they don't need to do it at home. I did a bit of it at home with dd because she was so keen at the time. She still likes to sit and draw a line of d's now and then.

that's what happens here, at least reception and y1. Seems fine, if interested (like mydc) could always read more at home. I do let/encourage them to write cards to friends and family.

I am also in favour of no homework, and reading books once a week sounds fine to me. It gives you far more time to do stuff you'd love to do with the kids but that doesn't fit in with the school's schemes.

In my ds1 and ds2's school the good teachers seem to send more than one book home if they realise the kids will get through them quickly. But having just one day a week to change them makes it much easier for us to remember!

Also agree that school reading schemes can be really really boring. When ds1 wants to read his school books I read them with him, otherwise I just send them back unread. The teachers haven't commented, probably because he's far better than whatever level they think he's on anyway. We have loads of books at home and I'm not going to get hung up on whether he's on blue level or turquoise level or anything like that, I'm far keener to make sure he enjoys reading and knows how to use it to find out new information.

But then I'm quite keen to take him out of the school system altogether anyway...

cat64 - you seem like you don't agree with homework either at primary age. do you think they shouldn't be set reading at home aswell?