Homework

Homework should not be a cause of distress either to the child, or to the parent but often it is. Homework should usually be an extension of what the child has been learning about in school.  In other words, it should normally be designed to help to embed what the child has been doing in school so that they are more likely to remember what they learnt in the classroom.

Teachers should not set homework for the sake of setting homework. There should be a point to it. Generally there is! Remember: Primary school teachers work an average of 59.3 hours per week. While holidays have been included in this calculation, all teachers work for at least part of the holidays. Teachers typically work for at least two weeks of the summer holidays. Many teachers have children of their own and would prefer to spend time with them than marking!

Guidelines for how long homework should take to complete

Suggestions were made in respect of how long children should spend on homework were produced in 1998 by the Government. I have listed these below because many schools adopted them. However, in March, 2012, Michael Gove (former Secretary of State for Education) removed these guidelines and suggested it was up to schools to set their own policies on the topic. Your school should be able to give you guidelines on how long they expect children to spend on homework. Look for Homework Policy on your school's website. 

If your child is finding the work too difficult, and has made a genuine effort to complete it, including taking steps to help themselves such as looking up words in dictionaries, speaking to a classmate about it and looking online (if appropriate), then I recommend the parent writing a note to the teacher at the first opportunity to explain that their child is struggling. This should not be submitted on the day the work is due in. Sometimes it is the case that the work set was too difficult. I would suggest placing an approximate cap on how long to spend on the task. However if the cap is, for example, 30 minutes and the child is nearly finished or really enjoying the task (some enjoy work, especially a story or topic that has whet their appetite), then let the child, or encourage the time to stick with the task until it is completed. It is not useful to spend hours on a piece of homework. Many teachers are parents too and can empathise. They do not want homework to be a battleground and set work that is too hard and takes up a lot of time which could be spent doing things together as a family. Children spent about 23 per cent of a school day actually in school. Parents are generally their main educator, although not usually in an academic sense. Teachers want parents on their side!

1998 Guidelines

An hour of homework a week for children aged five to seven.

The amount of homework should rise to half an hour a night for seven-to-11-year-olds. 

The above does not state whether the 10 minutes of reading per day is included. I don't think it is.

This might sound like a lot but spread the amount over 7 days and it doesn't seem like so much.

Please remember that schools now have their own policies so check with yours as to what it says.

Typical Homework

Typically homework includes spellings, times tables or number bonds to, for example, 10 or 20) (numbers that when added together, make 10 or 20 (as appropriate), some English, some maths and something from another subject. Even if it is not written down, teachers want children to read for approximately 10 minutes per day. Sometimes the homework will be on a project that involves skills from a variety of subjects and so there may not be additional English and maths work. In some schools, children are given choices as to what they do for their homework. Often, schools will try to differentiate (offer different levels of difficulty) of homework.

If homework was not set but you feel it should have been

Some parents worry if their child is not given homework. If this happens and you want to offer something, times tables and reading is a great place to start. There are also many books of questions available to purchase. CGP and Collins and Letts are two of the major publishers. Otherwise, enjoy the break!

Expert Views on Homework

Russell Hobby, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: “A modest amount of homework for older primary age children – Key Stage 2 – is appropriate but it shouldn’t be extensive amounts on a daily basis. It can be helpful particularly for practising spellings and times tables for doing little projects where they can build projects with their family.

“But you can certainly overdo it on the homework front and there needs to be some space for childhood. There also needs to be some space for children to relax and recover. We find that they learn better in the classroom when that’s enabled.”

Tips

• Try to make homework part of a routine i.e. it is done at the same time on a given day.
• Start homework soon after receiving it.
• Homework should be completed in an environment where distractions are minimised. You should not be a distraction. Avoid watching the TV while your child is working. Your child will want to join you.
• Homework should be started soon after getting it.
• Offer a break if your child is getting overly distressed or frustrated.
• Offer support if your child gets stuck and has made attempts to help themselves. Avoid stepping in before they are really stuck! Remember that the homework was designed for all but the youngest children to do independently.
• Make sure your child has all the equipment they need to complete the task. You might have a pencil case containing all they will need.
• Use this website for advice on English and maths. Other great websites include the BBC.
• Remember that homework is not meant to be a punishment!