Fractions at 7.30am !!!!!!

I agree about hw for young children not being of benefit- but this has nothing to do with this thread through- so perhaps best to open another one for this.

Certainly do not think it would be a good idea to encourage children no to do it- as a sort of boycott. Parents should get together and discuss this with the staff and head, and Governors. In my experience though, many parents have put pressure on primary schools to give regular homework, and think it is a mark of a good school.

My point is about taking responsability for one's actions- the earlier the better- and also that children who do not have caring parents or grand-parents to help them remember and achieve- will have no choice at all.

We look after DGD Sunday and Monday nights and do the "school Run" Monday, Tuesday while DD is working in London. Neither of my parents helped me with my HW and I was reluctant to help DD or DS with theirs as like some of you I believe responsibility should be taught at an early age. I passed my 11+ and both children have done well at Uni/College etc. However, I do feel I should encourage DGD to have a go with reading and spellings etc. But I find that she prefers to make up her own HW and does a lot more on her own if not pressed. As she is only 6 I think this is preferable to nagging her just so something is written in the HW diary. There will be more than enough pressure when she goes to secondary school.

Perhaps the most creative efforts of my children were in finding excuses: to me for why they hadn't any homework, or their teachers for why they hadn't done what was set. They were very good at both. So homework probably does serve a purpose but perhaps not the one it was actually set for. (My 3 DSs have 3 ordinary degrees and 2 Masters, with one working for his Masters now, so they haven't done too badly without doing all the homework!)