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https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2018/10/28/education-secretary-i-trust-head-teachers-to-decide-their-homework-policies/

Education Secretary: I trust head teachers to decide their homework policies

Education Secretary Damian Hinds has today written an op-ed for the Sunday Times setting out his position on homework, which has been followed up with a news story . He says that ultimately up to heads and school leaders to decide whether to set homework and what the consequences should be if children do not complete their homework set.

The Education Secretary said:

One of the tougher things I’ve taken on recently was solving a ‘part-whole model’, involving nine ducks and a jagged shoreline. This was, I should clarify, a piece of homework for one of my children, not something called for in my day job. Homework is a staple of school life, and of home life. Parents know this. After all, almost every one of us will have done homework ourselves as a child and most of us will be drafted in to help with it at some point as a parent, carer or grandparent. There has been some high-profile interest of late on social media suggesting that homework is bad for children, at least in the first half of schooling. There have even been subsequent questions about its legal status. Just to be clear: schools are not obliged to set homework, and some don’t. But when schools do set homework, children do need to do it. We trust individual school head teachers to decide what their policy on homework will be, and what happens if pupils don’t do what’s set. Policy and approach won’t be the same in all cases. Autonomy for schools, and the diversity that comes with it, is at the heart of this government’s approach to education. Of course, schools should, and do, communicate with parents. Parents need to know where they stand. Teachers obviously need to be realistic about expectations, and they know this. Obviously, no one wants children spending an inordinate amount of time every night doing homework. Clearly, there are other important things to do, too – like playing outside, family time, eating together. Good homework policies avoid excessive time requirements – focusing on quality rather than quantity and making sure that there is a clear purpose to any homework set. In 2011 we helped set up the Education Endowment Foundation as an independent expert body to study and advise on “what works” in education. It has established that, although there are more significant educational improvements derived from homework at secondary school, there can still be a modest but positive impact at primary level. Homework isn’t just some joyless pursuit of knowledge. It’s an integral part of learning. Beyond the chance to practice and reinforce what you’ve learned in class, it’s also an opportunity to develop independent study and application – and character traits like perseverance. Children need to know that what they do has consequences. At secondary school, if a pupil doesn’t complete their homework, they risk falling behind. They may also hold up others – clearly it is harder for the teacher to keep the whole class moving forward if some are doing the homework and others aren’t. At primary school, too, we all want our children to develop their knowledge – but we also want them to develop values. Homework set at primary school is likely to be of relatively shorter duration. But if a child is asked to do it and they don’t, for that to have no consequence would not be a positive lesson. Ultimately, of course, the responsibility for a child’s educational development is a shared one. Parental involvement makes a big difference, from the very earliest stage. In the early years parents can support their child’s development through story telling, singing or reading together. Later on, homework can give an ‘in’ for continued involvement in learning. Homework should not in general require adult help, and with today’s busy lives it certainly can be hard to find the time. But I know as a parent that we are called on as reinforcements if an assignment is especially challenging. Other times, it falls to parents just to give a nudge. I want all children to enjoy their progress through school and they will have a much better chance of doing this if they are not having to play catch-up during the day. Parents need to trust teachers, with all their experience of teaching and learning – and know that their child’s homework is not just proportionate, but will be of lasting benefit. From motivation and self-discipline to the wonder of independent learning, homework can teach children about far more than the part-whole model, some ducks and a jagged shoreline.

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The Great British Homework Debate 2024 – Is It Necessary At Primary School?

Alexander Athienitis

The homework debate is never much out of the news. Should homework be banned? Is homework at primary school a waste of time? Do our children get too much homework?

Not long ago, UK-based US comedian Rob Delaney set the world alight with a tweet giving his own personal view of homework at primary school. We thought, as an organisation that provides maths homework support on a weekly basis, it was time to look at the facts around the homework debate in primary schools as well as, of course, reflecting the views of celebrities and those perhaps more qualified to offer an opinion!

Here’s how Rob Delaney kicked things off

Gary Lineker leant his support with the following soundbite:

And even Piers Morgan weighed in, with his usual balance of tact and sensitivity:

A very experienced and knowledgeable Headteacher, Simon Smith, who has a well-earned following on Twitter (for someone working in education, not hosting Match of the Day) also put his neck on the line and, some might think controversially, agreed with the golden-heeled Crisp King of Leicester…

Fortunately Katharine Birbalsingh, Conservative Party Conference keynote speaker and Founding Headteacher of the Michaela School, was on hand to provide the alternative view on the importance of homework. Her op-ed piece in the Sun gave plenty of reasons why homework should not be banned.

She was informative and firm in her article stating: “Homework is essential for a child’s education because revisiting the day’s learning is what helps to make it stick.”

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How much homework do UK primary school children get?

Sadly, there’s little data comparing how much homework primary school-aged children in the UK and across the globe complete on a weekly basis. A study of teenagers used by The Telegraph shows that American high-schoolers spend an average of 6.1 hours per week compared with 4.9 hours per week of homework each week for UK-based teens.

Up until 2012, the Department of Education recommended an hour of homework a week for primary school Key Stage 1 children (aged 4 to 7) and half an hour a day for primary school Key Stage 2 children (aged 7-11). Many primary schools still use this as a guideline.

Teachers, parents and children in many schools across the land have seen more changes of homework policy than numbers of terms in some school years.

A ‘no-homework’ policy pleases only a few; a grid of creative tasks crowd-sourced from the three teachers bothered to give their input infuriates many (parents, teachers and children alike). For some parents, no matter how much homework is set, it’s never enough; for others, even asking them to fill in their child’s reading record once a week can be a struggle due to a busy working life.

Homework is very different around the world

We’d suggest that Piers Morgan’s argument for homework in comparing the UK’s economic and social progress with China’s in recent years based on total weekly homework hours is somewhat misguided – we can’t put their emergence as the world’s (if not already, soon to be) leading superpower exclusively down to having their young people endure almost triple the number of hours spent completing homework as their Western counterparts.

Nonetheless, there’s certainly a finer balance to strike between the 14 hours a week suffered by Shanghainese school-attendees and none whatsoever. Certainly parents in the UK spend less time each week helping their children than parents in emerging economies such as India, Vietnam and Colombia (Source: Varkey Foundation Report).

Disadvantages of homework at primary school

Delaney, whose son attends a London state primary school, has made it plain that he thinks his kids get given too much homework and he’d rather have them following more active or creative pursuits: drawing or playing football. A father of four sons and a retired professional footballer Gary Linaker was quick to defend this but he also has the resources to send his children to top boarding schools which generally provide very structured homework or ‘prep’ routines.

As parents Rob and Gary are not alone. According to the 2018 Ofsted annual report on Parents Views  more than a third of parents do not think homework in primary school is helpful to their children. They cite the battles and arguments it causes not to mention the specific challenges it presents to families with SEND children many of whom report serious damage to health and self-esteem as a result of too much or inappropriate homework.

It’s a truism among teachers that some types of homework tells you very little about what the child can achieve and much more about a parent’s own approach to the work. How low does your heart sink when your child comes back with a D & T project to create Stonehenge and you realise it’s either an all-nighter with glue, cardboard and crayons for you, or an uncompleted homework project for your child!

Speaking with our teacher hats on, we can tell you that homework is often cited in academic studies looking at academic progress in primary school-aged children as showing minimal to no impact.

Back on Twitter, a fellow teacher was able to weigh-in with that point:

Benefits of homework at primary school

So what are the benefits of homework at primary school? According to the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) (the key research organisations dedicated to breaking the link between family income and educational achievement) the impact of homework at primary is low, but it also doesn’t cost much.

They put it at a “+2 months” impact against a control of doing nothing. To put this into context, 1-to-1 tuition is generally seen as a +5 months impact but it’s usually considered to be expensive.

“There is some evidence that when homework is used as a short and focused intervention it can be effective in improving students’ attainment … overall the general benefits are likely to be modest if homework is more routinely set.”

Key to the benefit you’ll see from homework is that the task is appropriate and of good quality. The quantity of homework a pupil does is not so important. In this matter Katharine Birbalsingh is on the money. Short focused tasks which relate directly to what is being taught, and which are built upon in school, are likely to be more effective than regular daily homework.

In our view it’s about consolidation. So focusing on a few times tables that you find tricky or working through questions similar to what you’ve done in class that day or week often can be beneficial. 2 hours of worksheets on a Saturday when your child could be outside having fun and making friends probably isn’t. If you really want them to be doing maths, then do some outdoor maths with them instead of homework !

At Third Space Learning we believe it’s all about balance. Give the right sort of homework and the right amount at primary school and there will be improvements, but much of it comes down to parental engagement.

One of our favourite ways to practise maths at home without it become too onerous is by using educational games. Here are our favourite fun maths games , some brilliant KS2 maths games , KS1 maths games and KS3 maths games for all maths topics and then a set of 35 times tables games which are ideal for interspersing with your regular times tables practice. And best of all, most of them require no more equipment than a pen and paper or perhaps a pack of cards.

Homework and parents

One of the key benefits cited by EEF is in regard to parental engagement. Time after time, the greatest differentiator between children who make great progress at school – and those, frankly – who don’t is due to the same factor in the same studies: parental engagement .

It is a fair assumption that if a parent is engaged in their child’s learning, they’re probably going to be the same parents who encourage and support their child when they’re completing their homework.

Whereas parents who are disengaged with their child’s school and schooling – for whatever reason (sorry, Piers, it’s rarely due to laziness), are highly unlikely to be aware of what homework gets set each week, let alone to be mucking in with making sure it gets handed in completed and on time.

We also encounter time and again, the issue of parents’ own lack of confidence in maths. A survey by Pearson found that:

• 30 percent of parents “don’t feel confident enough in their own maths skills to help their children with their primary school maths homework”
• 53 per cent insisted they struggled to understand the new maths teaching methods used in modern classrooms. Fortunately that’s what we’re here to address.

Setting the right homework at primary school can be tricky

Although we disagree with Piers, we can see what he may be driving at in terms of setting appropriate homework.

The question quickly becomes what would Piers think of as being ‘interesting’ homework, and if all four of his children would agree upon the same thing being ‘interesting’.

That’s the problem.

One would imagine Piers would find it hard enough finding one task to satisfy the interest of all of his four children – it’s almost impossible to find a task that will engage the interest of 30 or more children in their out of school hours.

Each with different emotional, behavioural and learning needs, then sprinkle in the varying levels of poverty each family suffers (be it financial or in terms of time), and you can see how it isn’t just about being a good or bad teacher – whatever that means – in regards to being able to set Morgan-approved homework tasks.

What does this mean for my child?

Ultimately, the question at the top of mind whenever a parent thinks about homework is a more general one – am I doing the best for my child?

Although the world is changing at a faster pace than ever before in human history, what’s best for children hasn’t changed that much (if at all).

One-to-one support is best, and young people benefit most from adult-child conversations where they acquire new vocabulary and language structures to form and share their thoughts and opinions.

These insights – that one-to-one support is best and that regular, structured adult-child conversations are life-changing within a child’s development – are what inspired us to create Third Space Learning.

A platform where children can engage with a community of specialist tutors in a safe, structured learning environment where they are able to engage in one-to-one conversations that enable them to progress in their learning with confidence.

• How to help your child with their maths homework – A parents guide
• The Best Homework Hacks: 18 Tips And Tricks To Help Busy Parents Get It Done Faster!
• The 20 Most Recommended Teaching Blogs for UK Teachers and School Leaders

DO YOU HAVE STUDENTS WHO NEED MORE SUPPORT IN MATHS?

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Since 2013 these personalised one to one lessons have helped over 150,000 primary and secondary students become more confident, able mathematicians.

Learn about our experience with schools or request a personalised quote for your school to speak to us about your school’s needs and how we can help.

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The power of a good homework policy

Published 18th March 2019 by Frog Education

With the homework debate continuing to rage and be fuelled by all parties involved, could publishing a robust homework policy help take some of the headache out of home learning?

What is a homework policy.

The idea of a homework policy is for the school to officially document and communicate their process for homework. The policy should outline what is expected of teachers when setting homework and from students in completing home learning tasks. It is a constructive document through which the school can communicate to parents, teachers, governors and students the learning objectives for homework.

Do schools have to have a homework policy?

It is a common misconception that schools are required by the government to set homework. Historically the government provided guidelines on the amount of time students should spend on home learning. This was withdrawn in 2012 and autonomy was handed to headteachers and school leaders to determine what and how much homework is set. Therefore, schools are not required by Ofsted or the DfE to have a homework policy in place.

The removal of official guidelines, however, does not give pupils the freedom to decide if they complete homework or not. Damian Hinds , Education Secretary, clarified that although schools are not obliged to set homework, when they do, children need to complete it in line with their school’s homework policy; “we trust individual school head teachers to decide what their policy on homework will be, and what happens if pupils don’t do what’s set.”

The majority of primary and secondary schools do set homework. Regardless of the different views on the topic, the schools that do incorporate homework into their learning processes, must see value in it.

Clearly communicating that value will demonstrate clarity and create alliance for everyone involved – both in and outside of school. This is where the publication of a good homework policy can help. 5 Benefits of publishing a good homework policy

#1 Manages students' workload

Studies have shown a correlation between student anxiety and demanding amounts of homework. One study found that in more affluent areas, school children are spending three hours per evening on homework. This is excessive. Secondary school students’ study between eight and ten subjects, which means they will have day-to-day contact with a number of teachers. If there is no clear homework policy to provide a guide, it would be feasible for an excessive amount of homework to be set.

A homework policy that sets out the expected amount of time students should spend on homework will help prevent an overload. This makes it more realistic for children to complete homework tasks and minimise the detrimental effect it could have on family time, out-of-school activities or students’ overall health and well-being.

#2 Creates opportunity for feedback and review

The simple act of having an official document in place will instigate opportunities for regular reviews. We often consider the impact of homework on students but teachers are also working out-of-hours and often work overtime . One reason is the need to set quality homework tasks, mark them and provide valuable feedback. No-one, therefore, wants home learning to become about setting homework for homework’s sake.

A regular review of the policy will invite feedback which the school can use to make appropriate changes and ensure the policy is working for both teachers and students, and serves the school’s homework learning objectives.

#3 Connects parents with education

Parents’ engagement in children’s education has a beneficial impact on a child’s success in school. Homework provides a great way for parents to become involved and have visibility of learning topics, offer support where needed and understand their child’s progress.

A good homework policy creates transparency for parents. It helps them to understand the value the school places on homework and what the learning objectives are. If parents understand this, it will help set a foundation for them to be engaged in their child’s education.

#4 Gives students a routine and creates good habits

Whether children are going into the workplace or furthering their education at university, many aspects of a student’s future life will require, at times, work to be completed outside of traditional 9-5 hours as well as independently. This is expected at university (students do not research and write essays in the lecture theatre or their seminars) and will perhaps become more important in the future workplace with the growth of the gig economy (freelancing) and the rise of remote working .

A homework policy encourages a consistency for out-of-school learning and helps students develop productive working practices and habits for continued learning and independent working.

#5 Helps students retain information they have learned

A carefully considered and well-constructed home learning policy will help teachers set homework that is most effective for reinforcing what has been taught.

A good homework policy will indicate how to set productive homework tasks and should limit the risk of less effective homework being set, such as just finishing-off work from a lesson and repetition or memorisation tasks. What makes a good homework policy?

A good homework policy will determine how much homework is appropriate and what type is most effective for achieving a school’s learning objectives. Publishing the homework policy – although it might not unify everyone’s views on the matter – fosters good communication across the school, sets out expectations for teachers and pupils, and makes that significant connection between parents and their children’s education. But most importantly, if the policy is regularly reviewed and evaluated, it can ensure home learning remains beneficial to pupils’ progress, is of value to teachers and, ultimately, is worth the time and effort that everyone puts into it.

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Should homework be banned?

Social media has sparked into life about whether children should be given homework - should students be freed from this daily chore? Dr Gerald Letendre, a professor of education at Pennsylvania State University, investigates.

We’ve all done it: pretended to leave an essay at home, or stayed up until 2am to finish a piece of coursework we’ve been ignoring for weeks. Homework, for some people, is seen as a chore that’s ‘wrecking kids’ or ‘killing parents’, while others think it is an essential part of a well-rounded education. The problem is far from new: public debates about homework have been raging since at least the early-1900s, and recently spilled over into a Twitter feud between Gary Lineker and Piers Morgan.

Ironically, the conversation surrounding homework often ignores the scientific ‘homework’ that researchers have carried out. Many detailed studies have been conducted, and can guide parents, teachers and administrators to make sensible decisions about how much work should be completed by students outside of the classroom.

So why does homework stir up such strong emotions? One reason is that, by its very nature, it is an intrusion of schoolwork into family life. I carried out a study in 2005, and found that the amount of time that children and adolescents spend in school, from nursery right up to the end of compulsory education, has greatly increased over the last century . This means that more of a child’s time is taken up with education, so family time is reduced. This increases pressure on the boundary between the family and the school.

Plus, the amount of homework that students receive appears to be increasing, especially in the early years when parents are keen for their children to play with friends and spend time with the family.

Finally, success in school has become increasingly important to success in life. Parents can use homework to promote, or exercise control over, their child’s academic trajectory, and hopefully ensure their future educational success. But this often leaves parents conflicted – they want their children to be successful in school, but they don’t want them to be stressed or upset because of an unmanageable workload.

However, the issue isn’t simply down to the opinions of parents, children and their teachers – governments also like to get involved. In the autumn of 2012, French president François Hollande hit world headlines after making a comment about banning homework, ostensibly because it promoted inequality. The Chinese government has also toyed with a ban, because of concerns about excessive academic pressure being put on children.

The problem is, some politicians and national administrators regard regulatory policy in education as a solution for a wide array of social, economic and political issues, perhaps without considering the consequences for students and parents.

Does homework work?

Homework seems to generally have a positive effect for high school students, according to an extensive range of empirical literature. For example, Duke University’s Prof Harris Cooper carried out a meta-analysis using data from US schools, covering a period from 1987 to 2003. He found that homework offered a general beneficial impact on test scores and improvements in attitude, with a greater effect seen in older students. But dig deeper into the issue and a complex set of factors quickly emerges, related to how much homework students do, and exactly how they feel about it.

In 2009, Prof Ulrich Trautwein and his team at the University of Tübingen found that in order to establish whether homework is having any effect, researchers must take into account the differences both between and within classes . For example, a teacher may assign a good deal of homework to a lower-level class, producing an association between more homework and lower levels of achievement. Yet, within the same class, individual students may vary significantly in how much homework improves their baseline performance. Plus, there is the fact that some students are simply more efficient at completing their homework than others, and it becomes quite difficult to pinpoint just what type of homework, and how much of it, will affect overall academic performance.

Over the last century, the amount of time that children and adolescents spend in school has greatly increased

Gender is also a major factor. For example, a study of US high school students carried out by Prof Gary Natriello in the 1980s revealed that girls devote more time to homework than boys, while a follow-up study found that US girls tend to spend more time on mathematics homework than boys. Another study, this time of African-American students in the US, found that eighth grade (ages 13-14) girls were more likely to successfully manage both their tasks and emotions around schoolwork, and were more likely to finish homework.

So why do girls seem to respond more positively to homework? One possible answer proposed by Eunsook Hong of the University of Nevada in 2011 is that teachers tend to rate girls’ habits and attitudes towards work more favourably than boys’. This perception could potentially set up a positive feedback loop between teacher expectations and the children’s capacity for academic work based on gender, resulting in girls outperforming boys. All of this makes it particularly difficult to determine the extent to which homework is helping, though it is clear that simply increasing the time spent on assignments does not directly correspond to a universal increase in learning.

Can homework cause damage?

The lack of empirical data supporting homework in the early years of education, along with an emerging trend to assign more work to this age range, appears to be fuelling parental concerns about potential negative effects. But, aside from anecdotes of increased tension in the household, is there any evidence of this? Can doing too much homework actually damage children?

Evidence suggests extreme amounts of homework can indeed have serious effects on students’ health and well-being. A Chinese study carried out in 2010 found a link between excessive homework and sleep disruption: children who had less homework had better routines and more stable sleep schedules. A Canadian study carried out in 2015 by Isabelle Michaud found that high levels of homework were associated with a greater risk of obesity among boys, if they were already feeling stressed about school in general.

For useful revision guides and video clips to assist with learning, visit BBC Bitesize . This is a free online study resource for UK students from early years up to GCSEs and Scottish Highers.

It is also worth noting that too much homework can create negative effects that may undermine any positives. These negative consequences may not only affect the child, but also could also pile on the stress for the whole family, according to a recent study by Robert Pressman of the New England Centre for Pediatric Psychology. Parents were particularly affected when their perception of their own capacity to assist their children decreased.

What then, is the tipping point, and when does homework simply become too much for parents and children? Guidelines typically suggest that children in the first grade (six years old) should have no more that 10 minutes per night, and that this amount should increase by 10 minutes per school year. However, cultural norms may greatly affect what constitutes too much.

A study of children aged between 8 and 10 in Quebec defined high levels of homework as more than 30 minutes a night, but a study in China of children aged 5 to 11 deemed that two or more hours per night was excessive. It is therefore difficult to create a clear standard for what constitutes as too much homework, because cultural differences, school-related stress, and negative emotions within the family all appear to interact with how homework affects children.

Should we stop setting homework?

In my opinion, even though there are potential risks of negative effects, homework should not be banned. Small amounts, assigned with specific learning goals in mind and with proper parental support, can help to improve students’ performance. While some studies have generally found little evidence that homework has a positive effect on young children overall, a 2008 study by Norwegian researcher Marte Rønning found that even some very young children do receive some benefit. So simply banning homework would mean that any particularly gifted or motivated pupils would not be able to benefit from increased study. However, at the earliest ages, very little homework should be assigned. The decisions about how much and what type are best left to teachers and parents.

As a parent, it is important to clarify what goals your child’s teacher has for homework assignments. Teachers can assign work for different reasons – as an academic drill to foster better study habits, and unfortunately, as a punishment. The goals for each assignment should be made clear, and should encourage positive engagement with academic routines.

Parents should inform the teachers of how long the homework is taking, as teachers often incorrectly estimate the amount of time needed to complete an assignment, and how it is affecting household routines. For young children, positive teacher support and feedback is critical in establishing a student’s positive perception of homework and other academic routines. Teachers and parents need to be vigilant and ensure that homework routines do not start to generate patterns of negative interaction that erode students’ motivation.

Likewise, any positive effects of homework are dependent on several complex interactive factors, including the child’s personal motivation, the type of assignment, parental support and teacher goals. Creating an overarching policy to address every single situation is not realistic, and so homework policies tend to be fixated on the time the homework takes to complete. But rather than focusing on this, everyone would be better off if schools worked on fostering stronger communication between parents, teachers and students, allowing them to respond more sensitively to the child’s emotional and academic needs.

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Should Homework Be Scrapped For Young Kids? Here's What Parents Think

Parents editor at HuffPost UK

Homework is a lot like Marmite among parents – they either love it or hate it.

The matter of whether primary school children should be made to do it has been a matter of intense debate recently after TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp urged parents to skip doing homework tasks with their children.

“There is nothing better for children than spending time with you, talking, doing and learning at the same time,” she tweeted. “Following a recipe is reading, maths, science and fine motor skills in one activity.”

In a separate tweet, she revealed one of her “greatest regrets” was that she didn’t stop her kids from doing their homework. “The tears, the time together lost, for many families homework causes real, daily unhappiness to no good end,” she added.

Her comments come after the Irish president Michael D Higgins suggested homework should be banned in the country, saying work should “get finished at the school and people should be able to use their time for other creative things”.

A reduced emphasis on homework is something that’s been adopted in Finland, where – interestingly – the country ranks sixth place for reading and 12th for maths, compared to the UK which ranks 23rd and 26th respectively, the BBC reported. (It’s also worth noting that Finland is apparently the happiest country in the world.)

However many parents argue that 10 minutes of reading or maths here and there isn’t going to hurt. Plus, it helps ready children for self-learning when they reach secondary school.

Homework policies in the UK differ between primary schools, however it’s generally expected that children should be doing some form of home learning each week – whether reading, practising spelling or learning their times tables.

HuffPost UK asked parents and teachers whether they thought homework should be scrapped for young children. Here’s what they said.

‘I like homework as it lets me see what my children are doing’

Rhea Freeman, who has two seven-year-olds, says she is a fan of “a little bit of homework” because it allows parents to keep track of what their children are doing at school and also helps them progress.

“The teaching day is packed,” she adds, “and if we can do a bit to help with things like learning spellings at the weekends, then surely that’s a positive?”

She notes, however, that excessive homework isn’t needed. “The school day is busy and if they’re having to do an hour’s extra work every night, that’s a lot and could well extinguish any love of learning, particularly if children don’t find it easy,” she adds.

Reading and spellings or times tables are “great” homework activities, says the mum-of-two, noting it should only really take about 10-20 minutes. “My children are very up for that and there’s still plenty of time for them to play and relax after the day,” adds the 38-year-old business coach and mentor.

‘Refusing to do homework is a bit of a privilege’

Mum-of-two Claire Quansah is pro-homework as long as it’s appropriate and relevant, “as it helps children to apply and solidify their learning”.

The 40-year-old, who has two sons aged seven and 14, says “refusing to do homework is a bit of a privilege”.

“I have two sons and I’m sure the impact of young Black boys refusing homework would be very different to their peers,” she says. “They already have enough to contend with.”

Quansah is a firm believer that homework can help children – and adults – to see if they’ve really understood what they’ve learned that day and how to use it in a different setting.

Like Freeman, she’s also keen to know what her children are currently learning at school, “because based on what my seven-year-old says, all they do each day is play football and eat”.

‘It has to be the right kind of homework’

“Homework is an incredibly useful way of consolidating children’s learning – but it has to be the right kind of homework,” says mum Anna Masterson, who has three children aged six, eight and nine.

If the task is too general, time-consuming or simply not linked to what’s being taught in the classroom, it’s unlikely to provide any real benefit, adds Masterson, who is also chief learning officer at Atom Learning and a primary school teacher with over a decade of experience.

“Research tells us that homework tasks that are linked to what’s being covered in school are much more effective. Likewise, there’s a lot of evidence to suggest that the impact of homework diminishes as the amount of time pupils spend on it increases, so timed exercises are often preferable.”

Homework is beneficial because there are some things that teachers just can’t fit into everyday schooling, she adds, offering the example that children in Key Stage 1 should be reading aloud to an adult each day to develop their fluency.

“Ultimately, parents should be discerning about their child’s homework tasks and approach the time they spend on each strategically,” she says.

It’s important to remember not all homework is of equal value. “There’s a lot to be gained from completing a worksheet with 10 maths questions on a single learning objective that’s already been introduced at school, for example, but less in a seemingly endless research task, like, say, researching and building a castle,” she suggests.

One parent who knows this all too well is dad-of-four Simon Harris, 39, from South Essex. Harris – a blogger known as Man Behaving Dadly – is in favour of banning homework when it is “massively time consuming” and ultimately a “parental contest to make huge art projects”.

“I’ve seen these spiral out of control,” says Harris whose children are one, four, six and eight. “Seriously. Half the time the kids haven’t been anywhere near the bloody things.”

‘We have a no homework policy’

Two of Georgina Fuller’s three children are at primary school. The 45-year-old from Oxfordshire says they have a “no homework policy” in the house for the younger two, aged eight and 10.

“We did try and do it for a couple of years but found sitting down on the weekend to log into Teams, printing off worksheets and trying to make bug hotels was eating into our family time and causing unnecessary stress,” she tells HuffPost UK.

On top of that, her 10-year-old is autistic “and couldn’t see how or why he should be made to do school work at home,” she adds. “So we essentially gave up on it.”

Asked how the school responded to this decision, Fuller said they were fine about her middle child when she explained the “battles” they faced at home.

“There was no big announcement with my eight-year-old daughter’s teachers,” she adds. “I just told them that I made sure we read for half an hour a night instead and prioritised that over homework. That seemed to be acceptable and we haven’t had any sort of backlash.”

She does note that homework is useful for secondary school pupils. Studies have shown homework has a positive impact on pupils in secondary schools.

Her eldest child, who is 13 and at a grammar school, takes responsibility for his own homework and does most of it on an app. “I occasionally help him out but he mostly just gets on with it by himself,” she adds.

‘I’m keen my children don’t learn the habit of working at home after work’

Sarah Vaughan, a mum to three autistic children – two of whom are aged eight and nine, and are at primary school – says traditional homework is, in her experience, “often an extremely stressful and distressing activity” for her children.

“So much so, that they rarely do any because they need a break from school and home is a safe space,” says Vaughan, who is based in Kent.

The qualified teacher, who now works as a holistic therapist, says learning does happen at home all the time, but she “follows the interests of her children”.

With many of us falling guilty to working at home after work as adults, Vaughan is keen that her children don’t learn this habit.

“I see so many adults who do extra unpaid work at home, after their work day has ended – especially teachers – and this cultivates a culture where we push ourselves beyond our limits to please our employers,” she says. “There are no boundaries between home and work. This is not healthy.”

She caveats that there are some children and families who enjoy homework, “so maybe a good solution, rather than a ban, is providing interesting optional activities that children can complete at home if they wish.”

What are your thoughts on homework for primary school children? Join the discussion on Twitter.

Not banned just appropriate. My son's school is always telling us to read with our kids as much as possible & then they send a list of activities related to the theme for the term. Kids pick 3/4 of them to do over the 6wk period. A mix of arts/crafts and writing/research. — #JusticeForChrisKaba (@JENDELLA) January 25, 2023

A better understanding that play is learning would go away to separating tasks that are demotivating vs actually beneficial. Some kids love reading and writing, but for those who struggle, forcing them to do more of it at home can be detrimental. (I went to a school with none) — Melissa Hogenboom BBC (@melissasuzanneh) January 25, 2023

My children are sent a list of homework: they have to complete 12 each over the 6 wk period. Three children, that means I have 36 homework's to assist with alongside reading with them, spelling and times tables practice and WORKING etc. Not sure how helpful it is for them or me! — Bev Boyle (@BevKnox) January 25, 2023

I don’t believe kids at primary age should have to do homework. At home parents are teaching other skills. Although I do engage in reading with my daughter, times tables and spellings as these are all important for life skills. Everything else we don’t bother with. — CC (@Call_Me_Cecelia) January 25, 2023

Yes. Let kids be kids. My husband is a teacher and we don’t put any pressure on our 6 year old to do hers — Punteha van Terheyden (@vTFeatures) January 25, 2023

My son had to do some maths homework this week. Took less than 10 minutes so hardly overwhelming. Add in a bit of reading and times table rockstars. It should NOT be banned, if anything, expanded. — Stephen Jury (@stephen_jury) January 25, 2023

Not needed for primary school. Family time should be fun. Lots of learning at home, games, cooking, etc. — Laura Henry-Allain MBE (She/her) (@LauraHAllain) January 25, 2023

In my view it should be optional. Open to parents to decide whether to engage with additional work. I have five children. A couple of them loved doing homework whilst others struggled and hated it. — Ryan Morrison (@RyanMorrisonJer) January 25, 2023

I want it banned now as before I loved it on pen and paper. I can’t take this technology as it’s to much for children doing homework online. It annoys me so much ! — Hattie Aydin (@hattie_aydin) January 25, 2023

First secondary school in Britain to BAN homework allows teachers 'more time to plan lessons'

It is believed to be the first time a state school has scrapped homework without extending school hours

• 10:12, 28 Sep 2016

A headteacher at Britain's first secondary school to ban homework claims the move allows teachers more time to plan lessons.

The new policy has been introduced at the 1,650-pupil Philip Morant School and College in Colchester, Essex.

Principal Catherine Hutley hopes her teachers can work on delivering inspiring lessons instead of spending hours setting and marking homework.

The school's head says there are not enough hours in the day for her teachers to complete all of their work.

So she has announced a blanket ban on homework to give staff time to plan "precise" lessons.

It is believed to be the first time a state school has scrapped homework without extending school hours.

Out-of-school-hours learning will still be encouraged through the school's website with prizes offered to the most dedicated students.

The head is convinced students will benefit but parents have raised concerns about the impact of the policy.

Reaction to the move has been mixed among the parents of pupils affected by the change.

Ms Hutley said: “The job of a teacher is impossible.

"We have the most dedicated and committed staff you could possibly ask for.

"They are working every hour God sends but planning lessons can fall by the wayside.

"We want it to be the number one priority so teachers can plan for students' individual needs and keep on top of their progress on a daily basis."

The mum of one 15-year-old pupil said her daughter “couldn’t believe her ears” when she heard the news.

She said: “My daughter has never been a big fan of homework so she’s really chuffed about the new policy.

“But I’ve told her that it doesn’t meant she’s off the hook as I am going to make sure she’s still studying for a couple of nights each week."

Mum Jodie Finnigan, who has two children at the school, said: "I support the school.

“I have always felt that kids have too much homework.

"Especially when it encroaches on their weekends and holidays - a time that they should be resting and re-charging.

“I have friends who are teachers and I am very aware of the high volume of extra work they have to do.

“It's a very brave step but one that I am sure has been well thought out and may lead the way for other schools to follow in the future.”

A dad with a child at the school said: "As usual the kids who want to work hard and succeed will still do well. "My worry is for the youngsters who need to study harder to get the results.

"It could be that they are the ones who suffer."

The scheme was discussed for one year before being implemented.

Ms Hutley added: "We are aware opinions on this issue are polarised with many parents and carers delighted by the change but others concerned by what the move will mean for their child.

"If, for any reason, we start to see this new approach to homework is having a negative impact on students' progress, we will do something about it. "But I do not believe that will happen."

Last year the independent boarding school Cheltenham Ladies' College announced plans to ditch homework in response to an "epidemic" of mental health problems.

In 2013 Jane Austen College, in Norwich, said pupils would be expected to complete all their work during timetabled hours and extended the school day to 5pm.

Is banning homework a good idea?

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How to Write the Perfect Homework Policy

Author: Naimish Gohil

Posted: 10 May 2017

Estimated time to read: 4 mins

Homework is an integral part to the learning process and as such, each school should have a clear homework policy readily available to teachers, students and parents that sets out your expectations when it comes to home-learning .

A clear and effective homework policy will mean that quality and quantity of homework can be easily tracked and all stakeholders are on the same page. We've created our own Homework Policy that you can adapt for use in your school or use as an outline when creating your own policy:

1‭. ‬Introduction

This is the school’s policy for the provision of homework to pupils and has been drawn up in accordance with guidance from the DFE and Sutton Education Trust‭.‬ It must be recognised that parents play a vital role in the education of their child‭, ‬therefore it is important and valuable to‭ ‬have a good home-school partnership‭, ‬of which a homework policy must address‭.‬

2‭. ‬Homework‭ - ‬A definition

Homework is defined as any work or activity that students are asked to undertake outside of lesson time‭, ‬either on their own or‭ ‬with the aid of parents and carers‭. ‬Homework doesn’t necessarily have to be completed at home but can be completed in free periods and after-school homework clubs‭. ‬We see work completed outside of lesson time as a valuable part of a student’s learning‭.‬

3‭. ‬The purpose of homework‭ ‬

The school regards the purpose of homework as being to‭:‬

• ‭ Provide learners with the opportunity to work on an activity that is relevant to learning outcomes‭, ‬or that contributes to gaining qualifications/accreditations‭.‬
• Develop an effective partnership between the school‭, ‬parents and carers in pursuing the academic aims of the school and the development of their child‭.‬
• Consolidate and reinforce skills and understanding prior to the following lesson‭, ‬particularly in English and Mathematics‭.‬
• Extend learning across the curriculum‭, ‬for example through additional reading‭.‬
• Encourage pupils as they get older to develop the confidence‭, ‬self-discipline and independence to develop organisational skills‭.‬

As a school‭, ‬we encourage children to pursue out-of-school activities‭. ‬Homework should be used to effectively reinforce and/or extend what is learned in school‭. ‬We hope that children will feel a sense of personal satisfaction in a task completed well and that their efforts will be recognised and praised both at home and at school‭. ‬

Homework tasks should be undertaken to the best of‭ ‬their ability‭. ‬We hope that parents and carers will be willing and able to give their active support to ensure that work completed at home is done so conscientiously and in the best possible conditions‭.‬

4‭. ‬Current practice‭ ‬

At the beginning of the academic year‭, ‬each year group will be informed about what is expected of them with regards to homework‭.‬

5‭. ‬Time to be spent completing homework

Based on current good practice‭, ‬we ask pupils to spend the following amount of time on homework‭:‬

Years 7‭ ‬to 9‭:                   ‬1‭ - ‬2‭ ‬hours per day

Years 10‭ ‬&‭ ‬11‭:                ‬1‭ - ‬3‭ ‬hours per day‭ ‬

Pupils may be expected to undertake a variety of homework activities‭. ‬These activities will differ depending on the teacher and‭ ‬subject‭. ‬Examples include‭: ‬Reading tasks‭, ‬numeracy tests‭, ‬spelling tests‭, ‬quizzes‭, ‬project work‭, ‬classwork extensions‭, ‬coursework‭, ‬essays and research activities‭.‬ As a general rule‭, ‬teachers will not usually set substantial homework tasks to be completed for the next day‭, ‬pupils will have at least two days to complete any work set‭.‬

6‭. ‬Pupil feedback

The school recognises the importance of providing prompt and actionable feedback to pupils‭, ‬parents and carers‭. ‬Feedback will include how well homework tasks have been tackled‭, ‬and the knowledge‭, ‬skills and understanding developed‭.

‬A variety of methods will be used to provide feedback‭, ‬such as an appropriate comment of praise‭, ‬appreciation or area for improvement‭. ‬Any given feedback will vary according to the age of the pupil‭.‬

7‭. ‬Where to access the school homework policy

The school will use newsletters to inform parents and carers about the school’s homework policy and secure their involvement‭. ‬The homework policy‭, ‬as well as useful information for parents in supporting their child’s learning‭, ‬is displayed on the school website‭. ‬

Parents’‭ ‬Evenings and New Intake Evenings will be used to promote this partnership and obtain feedback‭ (‬e.g‭. ‬English and Mathematics workshops‭). ‬Homework questionnaires will be used where appropriate to ascertain parent views‭. ‬Parents will be consulted about any significant changes to the policy that are being considered by the governing body‭.‬

8‭. ‬Reviewing the policy

The homework policy will be reviewed every year‭. ‬Where significant changes to the policy are felt to be required‭, ‬proposals will‭ ‬be presented to the governing body and parents consulted‭.‬

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Homework policy: examples

See examples of homework policies from primary, secondary and special schools to help you write your own. also, adapt our sample clause for handling the impact of ai tools on homework., primary school, secondary school, special school, multi-academy trust, sample ai clause.

Shadwell Primary School in Leeds has a homework policy that covers:

• When pupils take books home for reading
• How long they should spend reading at home
• English and maths homework
• Spelling and times tables expectations
• Additional half-termly homework tasks, such as a learning log and key instant recall facts
• Instances when pupils may receive additional homework
• How homework will be recorded
• Rewards and sanctions

Chelmsford County High School for Girls in Essex has a school-wide homework policy setting out:

• The importance of homework
• Types of homework that could be set
• How much time different year groups should spend on homework

North Ridge High School in Manchester has a homework policy that explains:

• How homework may differ in form, expectations and outcomes
• How long the school recommends pupils spend on homework
• The roles of the class teacher, leadership team and governing board, and parents and carers
• The homework that different Key Stages and learners will get
• Marking, feedback and pupil absence

The policy also includes a homework timetable.

STEP Academy Trust has homework policies set for its schools that are agreed by the board of trustees. Each policy has been adapted slightly for each school.

To find the homework policies , scroll down in the 'Policy' search box in the top-right corner, and select 'STEP homework policy' – you'll see a list with links to homework policies for each of the trust's schools.

The DfE has advised that you may wish to review your homework policy to consider the impact of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools (such as ChatGPT and Google Bard) on homework and unsupervised work. 

Adapt our example text below to suit your school's context and approach to AI.

Primary schools

Secondary schools.

We're working on some practical guidance to help you get to grips with AI - select 'save for later' in the top right-hand corner of this page to be updated when it's ready. 

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Homework Policy (2023)

Click here to download this policy

Aims of the policy

Through implementation of this policy, we aim to:

• Give pupils the opportunity to extend their learning in areas of personal interest
• Ensure a consistent approach throughout the school
• To encourage children to develop the confidence, independence, self-discipline and motivation needed to study on their own and prepare them for the next phase of education
• To make set homework relevant and meaningful for the child linked to work done at school
• Make expectations about homework clear to children, parents and other carers
• Provide opportunities for parents and children to work together, thereby, fostering an effective partnership between home and school

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