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Secondary education

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Original poster

How Much Homework Does your year 9 Get? Too Much Or To Little?

22 replies

inashizzle · 13/10/2011 21:24

Directgovguidelines are between 1-2 hrs a day for homework for year 9. My daughter gets about 1 hr a week- if that!

Which is the recommended amount of time for year 1/2!

I dont want her to be bogged down with academic studies but as a fairly high achiever i wonder if i should be concerned or contact the school (which i try to avoid for fear of getting known as naggy, interfering with the school), or find her revision books to do? No doubt with her protesting all options.At least if the school distribute homework, she would do it a bit more willingly.

Please give me lots of ideas as i am pro homework but always reluctant to dictate to the school but as s has started g.c.s.es a year earlier than the norm but with what behind her?

OP posts:
twinklytroll · 13/10/2011 22:09

Ours have about an hour a night. I would be concerned and contacting her form tutor.

cat64 · 13/10/2011 22:11

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Original poster
inashizzle · 13/10/2011 22:27

Yes i think i will book an appointment with her tutor. Last year when i mentioned it regarding maths i was told year 8 is about social interaction! I,m not good talking to teachers as i think most are armed with sayings that i swear they have cooked up in the staff room eg.if you question why do you think her grades gone down the reply from three different year teachers " i wish all students had the same learning curve!" with a wistful smile.Statements you can never argue with!hmm

OP posts:
troisgarcons · 13/10/2011 22:55

Got to be honest my Y11 doent appear to have had HW since Y8, and he's grammar. I think he bangs it all out at lunch time/after school library.

As his grades arent affected and his teachers dont complain - I have no issue.

tropicalfish · 13/10/2011 23:02

my year 9 dc goes to a selective school in n london and gets ... nothing.
Spends all evening on fb.
I get the impression that most of the homework is finishing the exercise they started in class which dc does in class.
I would be interested in whether teachers think that this homework is sufficient?
My concern is that it isnt.

noblegiraffe · 14/10/2011 11:55

What is the school homework policy? If the policy is an hour a night then you can contact the school because it should be being set and it isn't.

The form tutor isn't really the right person to contact, I would go for Head of Year.

Teachers would then be reminded to set homework per the policy and to check your DS is recording it.

gramercy · 14/10/2011 12:26

Ds got hardly anything in years 7 and 8 but I notice now that he's in year 9 that it's coming thick and fast.

I think (and twas ever thus) that it does depend on the subject teacher. Teachers who don't like marking tend to set stuff that can be dashed off in three minutes, such as finishing class work. Ds had two years of maths teachers nearing retirement - the first one never set any homework at all. This year he's got a young gun out to prove herself and she is really pushing the class.

Just as an aside - was I stoopid or what when I was at school - we all thought that Mr X or Mrs Y were so nice because they didn't set any homework, and Miss Z such a tyrant because of all the extra work she gave us. Now, looking back, I realise that they weren't nice at all, but lazy. One of my English A Level teachers never set one essay in two years! He spent his whole time saying how had he landed up as a teacher and he had been destined for better things... (Bet he's still there)

Original poster
inashizzle · 14/10/2011 14:06

Good to hear comments, many thanks.Keep them coming as i,m getting lots of tips and confidence before i approach the school. They have a log book that they are supposed to log homework in but most weeks i think what am i signing for?

Even if the subject teacher was to send a letter suggesting text books. I have brought a couple for her, she has a token skim through for my benefit !

The school seems to be good but with a lot of emphasis on year 9 btechs, in many subjects, i wonder with such a lot of practicals going on in school, the academic written etc is left aside, teahers having to deal with all that, no time to set/mark homework?

OP posts:
2marys · 14/10/2011 20:19

i thought my ds had none, but in fact he was doing it at school - is your dd doing any there? if she's bright and the teacher has said "finish this for homework" she may be without you knowing. but even so, i think checking out a good idea.

Original poster
inashizzle · 14/10/2011 22:42

hi all i accidently spoke to dd's "pastoral care" lady today.(Youngest 5 year old nearly bashed into her with her bike at shops and we chatted bit!).she implied that as year 9s have some coursework in school, teachers probably thought it was enough. Whilst she was lovely i think they are not pushing dd enough and on the whole teachers talk the talk and she obviously can't say yeah teachers can't be bothered or have loads of bloody btech paperwork to plough through. I think teachers stick together and in an ideal world could look at the individual student

Might have to set up a small timetable of revision and start her off gradually, with variety as the terms fly by and i guess the gov guidelines are there for a reason.little and often.

Thanks again all for your wisely imput xx. CAn i be cheeky and ask if anyone has tips also for interesting, teenage friendly revision books or websites?

OP posts:
twinklytroll · 14/10/2011 22:52

It doesn't seem right to me.

In our school the form tutor would be the right person to contact.

Solo2 · 15/10/2011 06:02

Just seen your thread, OP, having started one of my own about how to help my twins manage 2 hrs HW/ night next yr - yr 7. They're currently in Yr 6 and get 1 hr a night every night. By yr 9, I'm expecting it to be about 3 hr a night every night and most of the w/e, although this is a v academic school.

One of the reasons my twins' school gives HW is to help children to realise that oneday they'll need to do work independently of sitting in front of a teacher and so they start them young, to get them into the habit.

I worry that they already get too much, at aged 10 - one hr every night - but I'd also be concerned if they weren't getting at least some each day by that age. By Yr 9, I think they'd need to expect a lot more in preparation for exams etc. So I think you're right to be concerned and take matters into your own hands.

roisin · 15/10/2011 07:52

ds1 is in year 10. Over yr9 he probably did an average of 10 hours a week. He was very meticulous though and would spend a long time over essay homeworks. Some subjects set very few tasks at all.

I'm quite pleased actually, as it gives them freedom to do lots of other things.

ds2 (currently yr8) spends a lot of his free time doing musical activities and practising. He wants to take up a 3rd instrument and I'm considering allowing him to do so. If he were getting 2 hours homework every night, that just wouldn't be possible.

seeker · 15/10/2011 08:01

"Just seen your thread, OP, having started one of my own about how to help my twins manage 2 hrs HW/ night next yr - yr 7. They're currently in Yr 6 and get 1 hr a night every night. By yr 9, I'm expecting it to be about 3 hr a night every night and most of the w/e, although this is a v academic school."

Bloody he'll, my dd is at a very academic school too and is in year 11, bright but not super bright, and predicted A* and As and doesn't do anything like that amount of homework even now and never has! I would be questioning what they are doing in lesson time if a very academic school needs their year 9s to be doing homework for 3 hours a night and most of the weekend!

twinklytroll · 15/10/2011 08:16

I agree that three hours is excessive.

seeker · 15/10/2011 08:36

Actually, the more I think about it, the more unreasonable I'm finding it. 3 hours a night means home from school at 4.30' half an hour debrief then homework from 5 to 8. Then dinner, half an hour TV and bed at 9. What sort of a life is that? Apart from anything else, when do they practise instruments, look after pets, go to Scouts, see their friends, read books, watch Glee, all the other important stuff teenagers have to do?

Solo2 · 15/10/2011 09:05

The Yr 9 - 3 hrs - is only my prediction based on what I know of current Yr ^ and then Yr 7 (2 hrs a night). Maybe by Yr 9 a lot can be spread into the w/e and is project based? Don't yet know. It may also be the case that some can be done at school in breaktimes and there might even be occasional free periods for homework. Not sure yet.

twinklytroll · 15/10/2011 09:27

Why should they spread their homework into the weekend. I bet a fair few teachers don't work 3 hours after school and some won't do weekends. Why on earth should the students?

seeker · 15/10/2011 11:25

Sorry- there is something extremely wrong with a school that sets 2 hours homework a night for year 7s. It's completely insane. Really. Don't send your children to this school!

noblegiraffe · 15/10/2011 12:28

It is not unusual for teachers to work 3 hours a night and into the weekend. That's one of the big reasons why teaching has such a high drop-out rate.

2 hours a night for a Y7 is completely insane and they will just end up resenting it. And a school that needs to set 3 hours a night below A-level and not in the immediate run-up to a big exam is putting your children at a disadvantage by denying them the opportunity of extra-curricular activities, family time and vital relaxation.

twinklytroll · 15/10/2011 12:31

I work far more than 3 hours a night, I know that some of my colleagues do but I also know that many don't.

But I agree setting that much homework suggests they are not getting it right in the day and they are not considering the whole child.

cat64 · 15/10/2011 23:33

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