Child not coping at Secondary

[Ellie54320]

My DD started year 7 in September. She struggled eith the adjustment from primary school and still is. Shes getting 3 lots of homework each night, the school said to spend 10 minutes on each piece but none of them take that, some nights she’s there for 2 hours, she has mild dyslexia and I don’t know if it’s this that’s making her find it harder. I’ve written multiple emails to the school SEN department but I’m not getting a response back, just to check she’s getting the help she needs at school. All of the mums are saying their children are really struggling with the amount of homework the schools setting. My daughter’s friend now has 17 detentions as she can’t keep on top of it. The school are giving detentions out like sweets. The school went from Outstanding (12 years ago) to requires improvement last year and I’m wondering if this is why they’re coming down so hard on the kids, my friends son is year 11 and she said he never had this much pressure on him from homework or the teachers, especially not this early on. My daughters tired and washed out. It’s her Easter break and they’ve given her a pile of homework, she needs a proper break. I’ve had an email today to say she’s got core subject assessments coming up in June and she is expected to now do an additional half an hour revision every night on top of everything else. She’s genuinely exhausted and not the happy kid she was last summer. I didn’t know if it was medical so I took her to the GP and she’s had bloods which are all normal. She’s a late August baby so also a young one not that that would necessarily make a difference. I did speak to the head of year about the workload a while ago and he basically said he feels it’s appropriate to push them early to prepare them for their GCSEs. Surely easing them in with an age appropriate workload is more suitable?? I honestly don’t know what to do to make this right or who/how to approach this. Is this all normal and it’s my daughter that’s struggling or is the school putting too much pressure on these kids? Is it possible/likely they’ve cracked down because of the Ofsted? The Head is furious and appealing it. I wrote to my DDs form tutor a couple of months ago saying she was struggling and she emailed back and said she’d keep an eye on her but honestly what’s that going to do to help… any advice hugely welcome.

Also, I was curious… if we really feel a reduced workload might give her time to recuperate are we able to ask the school to reduce the homework she’s getting so perhaps she only focuses on core subjects for a while until we’ve got her back on track. Is that something a school would generally allow if it’s in the child’s best interest?

Our school says 30 minutes per subject per night - it’s usually about an hour for my dc now they’re in year 9 but year 7 was an hour and a half. If they’ve said 10 minutes then I’d encourage 20 minutes per subject max then you write a note at the end with time started so teacher can see how far she got in that time. Home, snack and drink, homework within 30 minutes of getting home so it’s done and they can relax in the evening. Don’t do too many clubs in year 7.

Have you had a look at the homework she’s got? Could you select 2-3 things to do over the next couple of days together and then leave the rest for now. Have a break and maybe do a couple the evening before going back to school?

I’d then email in saying that she is struggling to complete it all and you will only be focusing on maths, English and science homework until May half term, but will be supporting her with revision in all subjects.

Also mention that you haven’t received a response from SEN department and hope that there won’t be detentions for lack of homework until they’ve been in contact about supporting her needs.

I would try to change schools, is that an option..? It could have got the Ofsted rating because it is failing pupils, jump before the ship sinks! Your poor daughter.

Sorry to say but they don’t have your child’s best interests at heart, only their results and league tables. The school sounds awful.

Only you can advocate for your child. I’d be worried that that level of pressure would cause burn out. Have a look at the Not Fine In School website and the work of Eliza Fricker and Naomi Fisher.

My worry is that although she’s drained and exhausted she’s formed a really good friendship group which she relies on heavily, I don’t want to pull that rug out from under her while she feels this way, a little while ago I suggested moving her and she went into a blind panic. I feel like she could be okay and happy here if her workload is reduced and they stop putting so much pressure on her. For anyone who works in schools is it feasible be honest with them and to ask for this? Perhaps like I mentioned to just have core subject homework. What are the chances of them allowing this?

That’s way too much homework!

That's so sad. I'm sure it's the Ofsted, and the school improvement plan / post-inspection plan not being particularly considered. It takes a special kind of school leadership to bring a school out of RI or Special Measures in a way that does not shit on children from above, but rather makes it an empowering, joyful journey for staff and children (I've seen it done). Can you ask the governors about how the post-inspection school improvement plan is positioned to address pupil well-being, education entitlement for all pupils, including those with additional needs, and whether the strategy for raising attainment includes an inordinate amount of homework? Who is acting as school improvement adviser / SIO, and by whom are they appointed? From where do they come: the academy trust or local authority?

For now, if I would bite the bullet, make myself indefinitely available, and get down and do the homework with her. This is what I do with my DD and it's made a big difference.

@Ellie54320 From the details you've shared of the school (inc the email yesterday about exams and revision) I'm virtually certain my DS js at the same school- also in Y7.

My experience js a bit different to yours though. He isn't overloaded with homework and his friends don't seem to be either (though they're definitely being set more homework and more regularly than friends at other schools). It takes him about 10 mins per task- sometimes a bit longer, but we're talking 15 minutes, so not excessive at all. He has four pieces to do over the holiday and again, none look excessive (one is getting ingredients for food tech). There may be some variation between teachers of course, but is there a chance your DD is spending longer than she really needs to be on the tasks? DS very much has a 'get it done' approach but I can imagine a very conscientious child might sometimes struggle to balance the 'spend 10 minutes on this' instruction with wanting to give a very full response.

The exception to this is Sparx reader, which is taking quite a bit of time. He did that on Saturday and I think it took about an hour. I imagine that with dyslexia that could absorb a lot of time.

secondary the homework increases for sure. But if it’s too much, she needs to do what she can and let the teachers know. Have her spend an hour a day max on school work and sit with her to make sure she is getting right to it and not wasting time on distractions. It could be her needing to learn to be efficient with doing the work. And the teachers may be giving too much. So see how she is doing the work and if she is getting right to it and it’s still move then an hour or work let the teachers know.

Contact the school and ask for a meeting with the SENCO.

@FurryGiraffe I’m pleased your son and his friends are coping well and have a ‘just do it’ attitude. It would be great if my daughter only had 4 pieces to do over the next 2 weeks but she has 10 pieces with Sparks on top all due the day they get back, so either it’s not the same school or there’s no consistency - which again, wouldn’t surprise me at all.

I have another daughter who is 8 and she’s far more academically minded, she doesn’t have dyslexia and is the sort who gets up and makes her bed first thing, I think she would cope far better in this situation but there are a large number of children who aren’t and they’re sadly being left behind in this crack down and if they can’t keep up they get punished rather than helped. I do agree they are setting a lot more homework than other schools.

@YouWereGr8InLittleMenstruators I agree regarding the leadership, I feel the head is panicking regarding the low grading and taking it out on the children. I think she will eventually have to step aside and let someone take over who can manage a school of this size. The only way it’s going to go well is if there is a policy overhaul and they start putting the children first but I can’t see that happening anytime soon.

When DC started in Y7 the increase in homework was insane. 2-ish hours every night. It did tail off in later years, bizarrely, but there were so many new subjects (Classics, separate sciences, new languages etc) that they all wanted their share of DC’s time. I can’t help I’m afraid, but you’re not alone.

I teach in an Outstanding secondary school and the amount your DD has to do is crazy. We do not set any holiday homework at all for years 7-10. The older year groups should be revising and consolidating in preparation for assessments. However, I also suggested to my exam groups that taking last weekend and the Easter weekend off were reasonable as they are all exhausted.

In y7, the expectation is 30 minutes per night in 2 or 3 subjects. This rises to 40 minutes in y9. Students are told that if their work is taking them much longer (in your case 3x) get the parent to email in to the HoY so they can see if there is a pattern. It is a pastoral concern, so Head of Year should be your first port of call. You could also reiterate the lack of communication from the SENCO/SEN department.

@Malbecfan
I did actually contact her HOY and expressed my concerns regarding the level of pressure and homework and this was his response -

‘Thank you for your email. I am very much aware the demands on our students with relation to homework, especially in addition to preparation for assessments. We aim to encourage our students to develop learning habits from Year 7 onwards which will support them in preparation for their GCSE’s, although Year 10 and 11 seem a long way in the distance we truly believe this will best prepare our students.

If I can be of further support, please do not hesitate to contact me’.

I don’t really see a solution in there. It basically says yes we push them hard just deal with it.

It’s nice to hear staff from other schools say this is too much, she’s my eldest so I don’t have much to go by but it doesn’t feel right at all.

I don’t like the tone of this at all. It sounds like they’re on a “journey to Good” and not taking into consideration the needs of students, just treating them like units of data.

Oh gosh that seems like a crazy amount. My DD is in year 7 and we seem to have the complete opposite. One piece of homework on Sparx maths and Sparx Reader..... PER WEEK!! It takes about 45 mins! The kids also get chucked out of the class for the tiniest thing, so they miss lessons. But that's an entirely different thread!

My dd is in year 7 at a grammar school. Same for her. She was drowning in homework for the first couple of months. But to her credit (and my DH on her case) she has gotten into a routine where she has organised her self to get most of it done at the weekend. She also does a lot of extracurricular activities and is definitely tired this Easter holiday but she has learned to cope.

pulling your dd out of school where she has made lovely friends is not a good idea. Decent schools will be like this everywhere, I think the workload will settle into year 8. I’m also a teacher at a different school. We do like to set the standard in year 7. I would ask for a face to face meeting with whoever is in charge of progress for her year group and discuss with them. Pastoral, form tutor or head of year will have no clout in this situation.

If there is a mums chat group, you could find out how the other kids are handling the homework and detentions before you assume it's just your kid, just in case. It could be something that needs to be addressed by the parents and nominate a parent to talk to the school on the parents behalf

@LimeQuoter oh no there are a lot of us. I’ve moved over with quite a lovely, close-knit group of mums from her Primary School and they all feel the same. There’s also a private Yr 7 Facebook group and there have been concerns on there. We also had a coffee morning last year at the school and several parents voiced their concerns but were quite literally cut off when they tried to speak. The school is very much taking the ‘we know best’ high ground. It’s a very large school and I’ve voiced my concerns so many times already, I wouldn’t know where to start getting a group of parents together and I just worry it would start a war and put my DD in the middle of it when she’s already struggling.
I wonder if just helping her as much as possible and hoping those of you who say things will likely calm down and time goes on are right. I am going to organise a meeting with the SEN team when she gets back though. I’ll contact the school office and stay on the line until I get through to someone.

That does sound like a of homework. My year 7 usually has about half an hour of homework an evening - not every evening and we don't usually get much over the holidays. Sounds like your DD could do with a rest. If other parents are feeling the same way and you haven't been listened to when voicing your concerns is there an escalation process/policy at your school?

the school said to spend 10 minutes on each piece

In which case follow the school's instructions and spend 10 minutes on each piece. Write on each unfinished piece of homework that your DD has spent the correct amount of time on it if she is worried she will get into trouble.

30 minutes of homework per night is an age appropriate amount of homework, your DD's issue is that she is spending way more than that on it.

So follow the school's instructions on time spent rather than task completion.

My son is Year 9. From Year 7, he's had a page of self-quizzing to do each night. Maths Sparx (online) is set on a Monday (they have until the Sunday to complete), Sparx Science (online) is also set on a Monday (they have until the Sunday to complete) and Sparx Reader (online) is set on a Tuesday (they have until the Monday to complete). As well as the self-quizzing each night, he completes his Maths on a Monday, Science on a Tuesday and splits the Sparx Reader over Wednesday and Thursday. Your daughter's home schedule seems excessive for Year 7. I understand they need to get the students used to a heavier work load, ready for GCSES but she's several years away from that yet! I suspect this has everything to do with the poor OFSTED report. It's possible they were pulled up on the lack of preparation for the work load for GCSE'S and they've gone in heavy handed. You need a proper meeting with your daughter's head of year - they have a duty of care and she is clearly struggling. A plan needs to be put in place. My son never gets homework over the holiday period. They do during the GCSE'S years, but that's revision.

I’d look for another school.

If that’s not an option then request a face to face meeting with the SEN team. You need to hear how they are meeting her needs and they need to hear that she is struggling.

I hate how some schools are like this. DD is Y7 at a selective grammar school and homework is light.

@Ellie54320 Ya, it sounds like a good idea. The amount of homework will probably decrease in time and kids grow and change too. They are getting bigger and more able as time goes on. And have the meeting with the SEN team. It sounds like a good plan. The Easter holidays is coming up too and the weather is improving and that will definitely help things too. The school will probably ease up on the work then as the summer comes in