Formally withdrawing child from homework

bestpud

Just wondering if anyone has withdrawn their child from homework, at primary or secondary level? Or does anyone work in a school with a parent who has?

I understand homework isn't a legal obligation but could a school exclude a child if parents state they don't want their child to have homework? Can they actually do anything at all?

To be clear - I know all the reasons for and against homework so I'm not after opinions on whether or not it's a good idea!

I'm just wondering what schools do in that situation.

meritaten

I have to say bestpud - this has me stumped! having always accepted 'homework' as a fact of secondary education - the notion of having my parents 'opt out for me' never crossed my mind! or for my kids.
can I ask WHY are you asking?

Toomuchdebt

No idea but I can't understand why anyone would want to so disadvantage their child and have them fall behind.Seems crazy to me.No idea about the legalities of it but my kids secondary school gives lunchtime detentions for more than 2 homeworks not handed in.I wouldn't think teachers would be very happy having someone in their class who didn't have to do homework-I'd imagine every other child in the class would demand the same privileges,or the child would get bullied for being teacher's pet.

Person_one

I knew a lot of children who withdrew themselves from homework. They weren't kicked out but they didn't generally do very well.

I wonder if my uni will let me stop doing any work outside lectures...

skintchick

I don't know Bestpud but I'm on your wavelength with this and interested to hear whatever you find out.

bestpud

Person_one wrote: »

I knew a lot of children who withdrew themselves from homework. They weren't kicked out but they didn't generally do very well.

I wonder if my uni will let me stop doing any work outside lectures...

I know someone who withdrew herself and she went on to get a First at uni and is now working in her chosen field and doing very well.

Person_one

bestpud wrote: »

I know someone who withdrew herself and she went on to get a First at uni and is now working in her chosen field and doing very well.

Withdrew herself from what? I'm talking about kids that just stopped doing any homework! :rotfl:

She'll have had to do a lot of independent study at university, or she wouldn't have a first.

Mojisola

A lot of schools ask parents to sign home/school agreements and ensuring your children do their homework is usually one of the sections.

I think the school day should be a big longer and individual work should be set for that time so that all the children have access to the same equipment and do the work themselves without help from parents.

Some children are hugely disadvantaged by having to do their homework in a difficult home environment whereas other have every advantage with computers and books and educated parents who take an interest - and, on occasion, do it for the kids!

alice31

bestpud wrote: »

Just wondering if anyone has withdrawn their child from homework, at primary or secondary level? Or does anyone work in a school with a parent who has?

I understand homework isn't a legal obligation but could a school exclude a child if parents state they don't want their child to have homework? Can they actually do anything at all?

To be clear - I know all the reasons for and against homework so I'm not after opinions on whether or not it's a good idea!

I'm just wondering what schools do in that situation.

If there is a home-school agreement in place (usually signed in September each year), it may stipulate that the homework policy is to be adhered to. This then, if contravened, might be reason to exclude. I would have thought that withdrawing from homework would not be a sufficient reason to exclude if otherwise the school were happy with the pupil. Particularly if it were the wishes of the parents, not the child.

meritaten

well, my oldest son NEVER did any homework - never got a detention for not doing any - and his explanation was 'I just did it in class'. I think he writes fast! he must do if he did both classwork and homework!

valk_scot

State school or private school? I would think a state school would have to continue to educate the child as long as it didn't merit exclusion. We have one child at my DD's primary school that has not worn the official uniform in the almost seven years she's been there and the school just has to lump it, they're not allowed to sanction the child in any way. A private school could probably require a child to leave if they didn't follow the school rules on homework, after the appropriate process re warnings etc.


Once in secondary school quite a bit of homework is part of assessed projects and for portfolios for exam presentation. You wouldn't want not to be doing this sort of work, not if you wanted good passes.


I'm all for homework as long as it's in reasonable amounts in the primary years. In secondary school I doubt the class could get through the entire exam curriculum without at least some home learning. And if any child has even the faintest intention of going on to futher education then they need to do work at home, not only to increase their chances of good exam passes but also to get into the groove of studying out of class, they'll be doing an awful lot of study at uni after all1

So imho any parent that tries to opt their child out of homework is doing the child a disservice. I can think of very few reasons to do it and many, many reasons not to. So why the reason for the question?