Parent/Carer Consultation

Homework

Parent/Carer Consultation

RESULTS

1. What class is your child in?

P1/2 – 32%

P3/4 – 32%

P5/6/7 – 36%

2. How valuable do you feel homework is?

1 is least valuable / 5 is most valuable

1-8% 2- 8% 3- 20% 4- 24% 5 - 40%

3. Do you work together with your child on homework or do they work independently?

Together – 60%

Independently– 4%

Depends on type of homework– 36%

4. Does your child receive the right amount of homework?

Just right– 48%

Not enough– 4%

Too much- 48%

5. Does your child find their homework?

Just right– 76%

Too easy – 4%

Too difficult– 20%

6. Are parents and children well informed as to what to do for homework? *

Yes – 64%

No– 0%

Sometimes– 36%

7. Would you be in favour of a whole school focus homework tasks occasionally with age specific tasks E.g. Spanish week; Health Week?

Yes– 92%

No – 0%

Maybe- 8%

8. Do you think your child should have a choice in selecting homework tasks?

Yes– 28%

No – 28%

Maybe– 44%

9. How long do you think your child should spend on homework tasks per week? (Not including Reading)

Up to 20 minutes -12%

20 to 30 minutes– 32%

30 to 40 minutes – 24%

40 minutes to 1 hour -32%

10. Do you prefer homework tasks to be given out at the beginning or end of the week?

Beginning– 80%

End– 20%

No preference- 0%

11. Would you like to see homework on a range of tasks other than Literacy and Numeracy? E.g. Art, Science, R.E.

Yes– 72%

No– 20%

Maybe – 8%

12. Would you be happy for homework task to be given a longer timescale to complete (E. g 4 to 6 weeks?)

Yes– 36%

No- 44%

Maybe– 20%

13.

What do you thing homework should be based on?

Future learning to take place in class–0%

Consolidating previous learning– 44%

A mixture of the above– 56%

COMMENTS

I think homework has its place but so does family time and outside clubs/activities so fitting everything in can be difficult. I think children have to have the right balance between both. I do think each child has a different limit and some children struggle to do homework each night after working in school. Also if the child has additional needs it can be a very stressful time for the child and their parents. I think whilst homework is important, it can bring added pressure to family life.

Sometimes it’s not always possible to complete the homework due to how my son’s autism affects him.

Whilst I've said there is too much homework, this is more to do with the time available on weekday nights to complete the work. As a family with 2 full time working parents, weekdays run very late by the time children are picked up and everyone is home and dinner cooked and eaten. Add out of school activities to this and we struggle to find the time for homework. We would very much appreciate homework given over a longer period (or Fridays), allowing it to be done over weekends when everyone is less tired and not so rushed, allowing maximum benefit to be gained from the work.

I'm very interested in evidence to say homework makes any difference to learning and progress - I've searched and there's nothing conclusive (but we're keeping an open mind). We will of course continue to support school policy on homework but as a family we notice the difference in the weeks there is no homework. Our family is happier when after dinner there are no tasks to complete - we play games and evenings are much more relaxed - translating as happier children. The reading tasks are fine as are the maths but we find the spelling/writing onerous. We're very happy with the learning happening in school - could that be enough for now?

We appreciate that families have busy lives and seek to mitigate this by giving all homework out at the beginning of the week so that parents/ carers can work around busy schedules. I would urge any parents/carers who are having difficulty getting a child to complete homework to contact the school to make alternative arrangements.

Homework is valuable even at this young age, it allows parents to see what they are doing and it sets them up with a good foundation for future years.

I feel there should be more emphasis put on neat handwriting than making homework tasks fun i.e. drawing pictures and cutting out letters. Also marking could be more consistent, excellents etc. should only be given when writing is neat.

I think important that children in upper classes are well prepared and used to a variety of subjects and timescales to get them prepared for high school.

We do not feel that homework should be given on a daily/weekly basis. Time for children to wind down and spend quality family time is more important. Work on projects or finishing work that the kids haven’t completed in class is reasonable. Children should be encouraged to be active or embrace their hobbies rather than continuing school work after spending the majority of their day in school already.

I believe when children come out of school they should be allowed to just play and spend time with their family, ride a bike, gardening club, play an instrument, have fun and learn in a non-academic way Very interesting video about school/homework in Finland

Homework is a way of sharing your child’s learning and gives you the opportunity to talk to them about what they are learning in school. It also offers opportunities for reinforcement and consolidation. It prepares them for study in later life and gives them opportunities to develop time management skills and independent learning, particularly in senior classes. The Parentzone website offers tips and hints to parents on how they can best support their child.

I believe when children come out of school they should be allowed to just play and spend time with their family, ride a bike, gardening club, play an instrument, have fun and learn in a non academic way Very interesting video about school/homework in Finland

A lot of literacy homework some activities such as cutting out letters I don't know are best activities. Literacy takes 80% of time. Would welcome a more balanced split with maths and or topic based works combining different skills. I.e numeracy, art, and organisation of these could be over a longer timeframe. Would expect about 30 mins/45 mins per day 4 days.

I think that the new homework set up for English and writing is not as clear as it was previously- there are too many irrelevant tasks ( draw a train of words, spell your words in pasta). I would prefer actual grammar and sentence structure type work which will prepare children for the next stage of learning.

I don’t really know if the homework is the right amount. I think other schools get more and I do think homework is important for child & parent I am not so keen on “project ' type homework which should be done in school but I think a little more would be great.

We will create a homework policy based on the common themes emanating from surveys. This will outline the time spent on homework for each stage and the amount of time allocated to Numeracy and Literacy and homework from other curricular areas. This will be in accordance with recommended guidelines issued by the Scottish Government.

Project/personal topic type homework is a valuable way of learning but is only beneficial if the child completes the task on their own but support by parent/carer.

St. John’s has high expectations of all of our pupils and the layout of children’s work in jotters is specified in our Classroom Organisation policy. We will look at creating a marking key so that there is consistency across the board. However I would urge you to make your child aware that you expect the same standards of completed work at home as in school.

Sometimes it’s not always possible to complete the homework due to how my sons autism affects him.

I dont really know if the homework is the right amount i think other schools get more and i do think homework is important for child & parent I am not so keen on ' project ' type homework which should be done in school but i think a little more would be great

Homework is valuable even at this young age, it allows parents to see what they are doing and it sets them up with a good foundation for future years.

I believe when children come out of school they should be allowed to just play and spend time with their family, ride a bike, gardening club, play an instrument, have fun and learn in a non academic way Very interesting video about school/homework in Finland

A lot of literacy homework some activities such as cutting out letters I don't know are best activities. Literacy takes 80% of time. Would welcome a more balanced split with maths and or topic based works combining different skills. I.e numeracy, art, organisation these could be over a longer timeframe. Would expect about 30 mins/45 mins per day 4 days

I think important that children in upper classes are well prepared and used to a variety of subjects and timescales to get them prepared for high school

Sometimes it’s not always possible to complete the homework due to how my sons autism affects him.

Homework is valuable even at this young age, it allows parents to see what they are doing and it sets them up with a good foundation for future years.

I believe when children come out of school they should be allowed to just play and spend time with their family, ride a bike, gardening club, play an instrument, have fun and learn in a non academic way Very interesting video about school/homework in Finland

A lot of literacy homework some activities such as cutting out letters I don't know are best activities. Literacy takes 80% of time. Would welcome a more balanced split with maths and or topic based works combining different skills. I.e numeracy, art, organisation these could be over a longer timeframe. Would expect about 30 mins/45 mins per day 4 days

I think important that children in upper classes are well prepared and used to a variety of subjects and timescales to get them prepared for high school