PARENTS PLAY A KEY ROLE IN SCHOOLS SETTING HOMEWORK AND WHETHER IT GETS DONE – ATL SURVEY

18 March 2008

Parents put a lot of pressure on schools to set homework, and the majority of pupils get some help, but a lack of support at home is the main reason for pupils failing to do it, according to an Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) survey. 

Over 50 per cent of teachers in UK schools said parents expect pupils to be set homework.  While supporting classroom learning is the top reason for setting homework, parental pressure plays a significant role. 

Anne Bardsley, a primary teacher from a school in the West Midlands said:  “I know many parents who have selected their child's school on the basis of the amount of homework set - the more the better apparently.  One parent who removed her child from the school I was working at met me in the supermarket and told in a very triumphant way that her daughter was receiving an hour's homework EVERY day - in year 5!”

Janet Lambert from Heart of England (secondary) School, Solihull, said:  “I think that parents use lack of homework as a failing of the school.  It would be interesting to find out how many of the parents who complain about lack of homework actually do things with their children such as reading, visiting galleries and museums and other activities with their children on a regular basis.”

Overall more than 70 per cent of teachers say their pupils get some or a lot of help to do homework, with more support given to primary pupils than those at secondary school.

And support from home is critical as over 86 per cent of teachers said the absence of support was the main reason for pupils not doing their homework.  Among primary pupils the lack of help has an even greater impact, with nearly 93 per cent of teachers saying it is the main reason for homework not being done.

For both primary and secondary pupils a chaotic family life is also a significant problem – cited by 66 per cent of primary teachers, and 60 per cent of secondary.  However, among secondary pupils, teachers said no interest in the subject (69 per cent) or school (64 per cent) are bigger factors. 

A teacher from a primary school in Nottinghamshire said:  “It varies from parents doing it for them, giving appropriate support, not bothering, or refusing to help.  I have illiterate parents who cannot help and many that work and will not make the time.”

These are the results of an ATL survey of 623 teachers working in primary and secondary schools in the UK in February. 

ATL general secretary, Dr Mary Bousted, said:  “We are deeply concerned about the increasing pressure homework is putting on children, especially primary pupils.  It puts a huge amount of stress on disadvantaged children who don’t have somewhere quiet to study, access to books or computers or the crucial parental support.  We are keen for a limit to be set on the amount of homework given and will vote on scrapping homework in primary schools. 

“Schools do their best to give children a good education, but the role of parents is so important.  Parental support or lack of it plays a huge part in how well children achieve and their interest in education.”

In over 70 per cent of schools it is school policy to set homework, and over 94 per cent of teachers do so.  About 60 per cent of teachers set homework once a week, and most teachers expect their work to take no longer than half an hour.

But many teachers, particularly those teaching primary pupils, have mixed views about the benefits of homework. 

Sarah Matthews from Hayes Meadow primary school in Staffordshire said:  “I give homework to structure parental involvement as most parents do want to get involved, and also because reading at home does accelerate progress.  However, I am very sympathetic to the view that school should be school and home should be home.”

Lindsey Sculfor, from Leytonstone (secondary) School in London, said:  “Many parents want homework set but then don't want to be part of the doing.  For some students who have active home lives, homework is just another burden, and I'm not sure it is more useful than the other things they might be doing.”

Teachers are also concerned about the amount of stress homework puts on their pupils.  Emily Cook from a secondary school in Cornwall said:  “The pupils who get stressed about homework tend to be those on the SEN register or those with unstable families.”

A teacher from a primary school in Portsmouth said:  “Homework places extra pressure on our children, some of whom are already in stressful situations.  There are some children who never bring in homework and there is no encouragement from home for it to be done.  Whilst there is merit in homework, and there is no doubt that some children love to study at home, there should be consideration given to the children and their situations.  Is it relevant for them?  Unfortunately, I think sometimes it is not.”

However, some pupils really love homework.  Rosemary Townsend a primary teacher from Nottinghamshire said:  “They all view it negatively as that's expected - it’s not cool to enjoy homework.  However they privately say they love it or enjoy it! (year 6)”

For further information please contact the ATL press office on 0207 782 1589 or visit our website www.atl.org.uk.