pointless homework

[Thaigal]

My younger sister started secondry school last september (she's now in year 8) and she has been bringing home some ridiculous homework, the worst one was "paint a sheet of paper blue" and then a few weeks ago she brought home something saying that her french homework was to "look for something french on the internet and print it out" the teacher told them that a picture of the eeifel tower would do...is this normal??

nope.

perhaps it's part of something else? it does seem rather odd though.

Another thing is that they're being rewarded with lollies and sweets for good work?? it all seems very "Primary schooLish"

no, yr 11 boys will stand on their heads for lollies. much cooler than merits.

if your mum is worried then perhaps she should go and speak to a teacher about it?

Hmm. Lollies and sweets? What do they hand out when they get to the fourth year? Condoms?

Caligula, fourth year doesnt exist anymore. how old are you?

Lollies and sweets work with all pupils- even 6th formers.

Some 'pointless' homework is set to meet govt targets- the govt say that pupils should receive a set amount every week so schools set homework timetables. Unfortunately some teachers set pointless seeming homework just to have something written int he homework diary.

Painting the paper blue may have been prep for something else though

i'm only 26 and we had fourth year!

LOL I'm ancient.

I keep forgetting they change the system every fifteen years so that no parent has actually ever experienced it...

My sixth formers loved it when I let them have a smily face stamp, saying Mrs Hula says good work! Even older kids like a bit of fun at times. It doesn't always have to serious!

The blue paper thing sounds like prep for soemthing else they were doing at school.

I suspect the French homework is too. Although if so it would have been better for teacher to have given them something slightly more specific to search for. From what has been said teacher may well end up with 30 pictures of the tower! Actually we were often told NOT to set IT based homework as we were not allowed to assume all pupils had access to a computer at home - unless they have a while to do it and can access school internet in that time.

my lads like a merit stamp in the middle of their forehead

My DS's school still has old fashioned year numbers, v. traditional, just one of the reasons we love it.