Reception teachers- what's your attitude to homework?

[Pozzled]

If it was completely your choice, how much would you set and what type? How do you feel if the homework isn't done? 

I do a lot of learning at home with DD1 and make it as fun as possible. However, I've been quite laidback about the formal homework set (a maths worksheet most weeks and a reading diary which she has to write/draw in every week). We often send the maths in late, or just put a token effort in the diary.

Would this annoy you or be seen as lazy parenting?

[prettydaisies]

When I was teaching Reception the only HW that I expected (or hoped) that parents would do with their child was reading or inititially helping their children to learn the sounds. Nothing else!
We set very little HW at our school, even in Y6.

[Periwinkle007]

I am not a teacher but the only work my daughter has brought home from reception is her reading (they are supposed to do 10mins a day I think and if they have their reading record signed 3 times a week they go up a reading chart) and then on a friday they get something phonic related. I don't know what exactly because my daughter gets spellings and sentences with questions she has to give yes no answers to etc because she knows the phonics. I think they have to find things with the phonic sound in the word and draw it or write/get it written. no other homework at all.

I personally think reading records are very important as it is a link between the parent and teacher. in my daughter's case the inconsistencies between how she read at home and how she read at school were huge and it was useful for this to be flagged up. If she brought home a maths worksheet then we would do it as I want her to learn that if the teachers set them work it is important to do it.

Can I ask why if you do a lot of work at home you don't do the school work? I genuinely don't understand that. We don't do any learning at home really, we have done in the holidays or at weekends if she has asked to do something or shown an interest in it but otherwise it is just reading every day. I am not sure if we are unusual in not doing anything as I know quite a lot of her friends do maths workbooks etc regularly.

[learnandsay]

I can't speak for the teachers but the only homework we get is the reading book. We were promised spellings towards the end of Reception but so far no sign of them.

We never got any Boff, Chopper and Koff books before but now we're on a different level we've been getting them. I used to read the school book religiously with my daughter but now that sometimes it's a Boff & Chopper book I ignore it completely. All the other books she gets are fine. (I even enjoyed one the other day, although I know that's not its function.)

[noramum]

I think it is necessary to do the homework if the homework given is sensible and matches the school learning.

First it means I as a parent know what is going on and secondly I know if my child actually understands what was taught in school.

Reading is vital and if you are not happy with the books provided by the school speak to the teacher but don't just ignore it. How should the teacher know what your child is reading at home.

Ignoring homework or giving it back late is not considerate against the teacher in my opinion who made the effort to create a homework task.

[PiHigh]

I'm speaking as a parent but at DD1's school they just had a reading book each week and a book with phonics in which they highlighted when your child knew the sound (this meant you could practice the others).

I'm confused why you seem to do a lot with her but not the stuff set by the school.

[Pozzled]

Thanks for all your replies.

To answer a couple of questions:

I agree with the comments about reading being extremely important, and I do a great deal with DD. More than is expected by the school. We don't always read the school books, but they are chosen by the child anyway, and often DD picks ones that aren't at the right level. If she was assigned a book by the teacher, then I would definitely read it.

When I talked about the reading diary, it's different in this school than most other schools I know. The children are expected to write in it themselves about what they have read. DD can write a sentence or two, but can often be reluctant- it feels like quite a big task to her, and at this age I really don't want her to see learning as something she has to do because the teacher tells her to. I want her to see it as fun. Left alone she will happily write all sorts of things- letters, lists, pictures with labels on.

Reception is supposed to be play-based, so it just seems more natural to me to follow that same style of learning at home.

[simpson]

DD gets quite a lot each week. She usually has to make something ie Easter Bonnet/hat, paint a hard boiled egg, make a sphere, a tractor out of 2/3 d shapes etc (I forget the rest.

She gets numeracy each week too ie number sentences, counting in 2s writing her numbers, colouring in things and counting them.

Her literacy involves a spelling test each week, a literacy worksheet. She also gets extension work (a set of comprehension questions about a particular book or book report/character report).

She also reads daily and gets a couple of books a week.

[Pozzled]

Ugh, I'm glad DD doesn't go to that school, Simpson. Where do you find time for all of that? Why can't kids just be left to play?

[simpson]

She actually enjoys pretty much all of it although I hate the making crap stuff.

It works out at around 10/15 mins a day not including reading.

Although she has not got much this week (but I don't want to speak too soon as she does guided reading on a Thursday so gets her comprehension questions after that).

I forgot to say, she has show and tell each Friday so needs to take something in (teacher tells us the theme) and she has to chat about it in front of the class. But we don't practise it or anything as I am sure she is more than capable of waffling on!!

[Pozzled]

We now have show and tell as well, it started after Easter. I don't mind that; it's just when she has to sit down and do something formal that I'm not so keen on.

[freetrait]

Only HW DS had in Reception was reading and then when they first learnt to write the letters a letter sheet would come home for them to practise. I got him to do the letter sheets which took less than 5 minutes and were very helpful I think. As YR progressed they turned into sentence sheets but very simple, using the phonics they were focussing on and none of it had to go back to the teacher.

[freetrait]

That sounds a nightmare- them having to write in the reading diary...a stress most could do without! I think I would encourage drawing unless they were very precocious writers (DS wouldn't have wanted to do that in YR).

[CheesyPoofs]

My DD is in year 1 and doesn't get homework apart from reading books. I'm happy with this.

[simpson]

Some of the more able yr1s are encouraged to write in their reading journal themselves about what they liked best etc, although it is only a few of them ( I read with yr1).

But all of them are expected to do it in yr3.