HAVING those “difficult” conversations with parents is one of the most challenging aspects of being a headteacher. I used to place a bet with myself as to how long it would be before being told the problem was down to the school because Jack or Jill “never gets any homework”.
I have long had a thing about homework. It probably stems from a parents’ evening early in my career when a dad enquired: “How was my recent piece of homework?” Much later, when involved in drawing up whole-school homework policies, I struggled with a convincing rationale for something that absorbs so many child, teacher and parent hours.
I may have missed something but I have been unable to find research evidence to show that homework makes anything more than a marginal contribution to improved attainment. Research does tell us, however, of the huge variations in homework issued to children around the world. In many Asian countries the crushing homework burden possibly contributes to adolescent stress and suicide. Conversely, high-performing Finland, often held up as a model for Scotland, imposes the fewest homework demands on its children.
Our Government commendably wishes to close the attainment gap. It’s more than likely that marginal gains from homework simply widen that gap. The children already benefiting from greatest parental support and access to technology plus warm, quiet workplaces reap most benefit. Homework becomes another fence in the educational handicap stakes.
It is not only the principle of homework that is questionable. The tasks rarely challenge or contribute much to the advancement of learning. The old chestnut of finishing classwork begs the question why it wasn’t finished in class time. Many tasks are akin to oakum picking (you can look it up for homework) or rock breaking in the 19th century penal system.
It’s questionable whether all teachers are sold on homework. Planning, issuing and marking homework place a heavy burden on the conscientious. Failing to mark homework is professionally inexcusable. The old wheeze of swapping jotters and “marking your neighbour’s homework” will not do either. Many parents possibly believe in a strong correlation between the quantity of homework issued and the quality of the school.
Those who fork out huge sums for private education would probably agree more than most. In truth, shed-loads of homework are unreliable measures of quality. Other parents might argue that homework enables them to find out what their children are doing at school. If that’s the case, they should be questioning the school’s communication policy and practice.
Things are stirring in Spain. Many parents there have had enough of excessive homework that imposes unreasonable pressure on children and family life. Parent associations are rebelling against the intrusion of school into family time and are calling for a strike against weekend homework. They are determined to challenge the wisdom that homework is an essential element of learning and attainment. How long before we join them in bidding “hasta la vista” to homework?
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