Homework...

[mystery]

Oh flipping posters and time consuming artwork. How do schools have the space on the walls for all this stuff?

Homework without a clear enough learning purpose irritates me. I would make contact about the specific subjects that exceed the appropriate time limit for your son to do them well and see what the school says. Go through the contact point you are instructed to use e.g. Form teacher, head of year, subject teacher etc.

Check the homework agreement you have signed and find out how long each subject is supposed to be per week. If it is the school setting too much help your son prioritise and send notes yourself to the teachers concerned about why their homework is not completed so your son does not get detentions because of your sound advice.

Some teachers just set any old homework because "they should."

[silverysea]

I sat with my Y7 dd to do homework at first, and it often dragged on to 10 pm or later, as she had little in primary. She hugely resents any interference from me so that was an incentive for her to become independent quickly at least. I think if she had seemed so tired I would have contacted the form tutor specifically about homework (we had worse issues) and I expect would have received good help. My dd by end Y7 completed most of it at school, spending some breaks and time after school in the library, and occasionally going to homework club- I would ask as the parent about that, to flag up that my DC is having a hard time.

That said, I would keep my interference as low key as poss- let her think she and the teachers are noticing and solving it themselves, she needs to own this problem. It is a valuable lesson in time and health management, and the stakes are low-plenty if time to bring up grades later, a few mistakes and warnings now are not a bad thing.

[Okanagan]

ds1 is getting loads too. Some are quick 20 minutes or so but others can be several hours. Lots of research ones, posters, presentations, which are quite open ended in how long they take to do, depending upon how well/thoroughly they are done. A lot of them come with guidelines of what is expected for what they call bronze / silver / gold level. So I suppose it depends upon your aspirations how much you do - settle for the Bronze and you probably needn't spend long. Go for Gold, as ds is doing, and they take a lot longer.

[ginx]

Dd2 hasn't yet had to make a single poster, only covered two books in dreadful sticky back plastic. She's used loose sleeve covers, much, much easier.

All the rest (apart from art) has been writing, apart from two spider diagrams. Now they are easy ...

You're right, mystery - homework without a clear enough learning purpose is confusing.

OOCmum, I don't think your ds is too slow, sounds to me like he is too diligent and conscientious - the opposite to my dd2. I've found myself once more wondering if dd2 has got it to be at a gs at all.

Your ds sounds tired, imho. We have a "meet the form tutor" meeting soon, I'm going to be discussing homework there. Do you have a similar meeting?

[mystery]

Yes, I agree that getting the child to speak to the form tutor themselves about it first is probably a good idea so they have "ownership" and feel better equipped to deal with these situations in the future. But, the form tutor may not have an overview or any control over what each individual subject teacher is setting. At least though it means that your approach will not be out of the blue.

From your description it is not your child being slow or struggling, but too many lengthy homeworks being set for the time slots. Who can research the material, design, and complete a poster in 30mins? Or do a work of art in 30mins? Not your son's fault.

If they want to set this kind of homework for a 30 min slot it needs to be done in stages, or based on work already carried out in class, with some guidelines as to what the crucial elements are.

Secondary schools are made up of individual subject teachers so you may have to tackle this piecemeal.

[mystery]

ds1 is getting loads too. Some are quick 20 minutes or so but others can be several hours. Lots of research ones, posters, presentations, which are quite open ended in how long they take to do, depending upon how well/thoroughly they are done. A lot of them come with guidelines of what is expected for what they call bronze / silver / gold level. So I suppose it depends upon your aspirations how much you do - settle for the Bronze and you probably needn't spend long. Go for Gold, as ds is doing, and they take a lot longer.

Doing a presentation well is great. Do the individual teachers know what others have set that week though? More in one subject is fine if there is less in others. Isn't more than one week allowed for preparing a presentation, or class time given for it too?

[ginx]

mystery, dd2 gets two weeks for art (and is supposed to spend an hour on her work, and even more amazingly, she does - she likes art).

Perhaps dd2 is lying to me or her school actually don't give much homework. I'm glad. Okanagan, sounds like your ds1 gets a lot of homework too. Posters and presentations could take hours, depending on how much your ds1 wants to put into it. Any dc who wants to do well could put hours into such homework.

Beginning to feel lucky dd2 doesn't get posters or presentations (although I know presentations are coming, she has presentation books).

I doubt individual teachers know what others are setting.

[imustbecrazy]

Sorry this doesn't answer your question, DD1 is now in year 9 at grammar, and doesn't seem to have much homework at all! So much so that I have constantly asked (since year 7) if she gives her homework in on time at parents evenings. There were no complaints, but I have mentioned to the school she doesn't seem to get much homework, (hinting possibly for more, much to my daughters horror). She hits all her targets but I would have expected an hour or 2 a night of homework, (several parents have said they're surprised at lack of homework).

[Okanagan]

Do the individual teachers know what others have set that week though?

They should be able to see it if they want to, as it is all listed on the school website. Whether they know what is going to be set when they're planning it is a different question.

Isn't more than one week allowed for preparing a presentation, or class time given for it too?

One week is researching the topic, and the next creating the presentation. In class has been about how to actually create the presentation.

[Amber]

We haven't found there to be huge amounts either, not until GCSE years. Many children at my sons' school seem to do it in their lunch breaks - often working together which I think is nice - perhaps there is a way of encouraging your young ones to do this, so it doesn't take over evenings at home.