Formally withdrawing child from homework

daska

janninew wrote: »

If the information was available before you decided on a school for you child and you didn't agree with it, why send your child there?

We have one set of parents who challenge everything and are constantly complaining about various issues, these children (they have numerous children in school at the moment) are all seen as outcasts by their peers as they aren't allowed to take part in various activities (not sex ed, just normal school activities). I'm really not sure why they keep sending their children to the school when they don't agree with how the school is run. I don't want to go into specifics as it wouldn't be right, hence my post being very vague.

Not everyone gets a choice of school! Some parents only have the option of the one in the local area or home educating. I live in an area with very high levels of unemployment/poverty where most kids would qualify for for free travel but the next nearest school is too far away. Trying to find £20/week for bus fares is a tall order. So the local academy, the only option for most local parents, insists that all it's uniform is sourced from the next town (further than the next nearest school) and has a bespoke colour scheme that can't be bulked out from Tesco etc. Kick in the teeth is that we have a really good school outfitter within 5 minutes walk of the Academy, but the Principle was overheard to say that they wanted to use a 'better class of establishment'. They've recently gone into special measures...

koalamummy

Sorry my last post was meant to be light hearted. No offence was meant. However most teenagers when hundreds of miles from home will begin their course with endless partying, it is pretty normal. Most get their wake up call after first assessment grades are posted. Then as adults they need to figure out a sensible compromise. The majority achieve this fairly soon afterwards. Some take slightly longer to reach this point, hence the reason for averaging grades for honours selection. Some sadly however are just never going to be able to do this and end up dropping out.

moneysaymoneydo

Koalasmummy - Of course it is

jellyhead

For years 10 and 11 my eldest spent half of his time in an 'alternative curriculum' which was low stress, had fewer GCSEs and didn't set any homework. The other half of his time was spent with the rest of his year group, and the separate sciences in particular set a lot of homework.

This half and half approach suited him very well, but it was already set up that way for the students who were invited onto the alternative curriculum.

Would the primary school liaise with the secondary school and put forward your case?

bestpud

jellyhead wrote: »

For years 10 and 11 my eldest spent half of his time in an 'alternative curriculum' which was low stress, had fewer GCSEs and didn't set any homework. The other half of his time was spent with the rest of his year group, and the separate sciences in particular set a lot of homework.

This half and half approach suited him very well, but it was already set up that way for the students who were invited onto the alternative curriculum.

Would the primary school liaise with the secondary school and put forward your case?

If my daughter was drowning in homework, I'd happily speak to the relevant people myself.

I have no plans to do anything as a matter of course, although I will almost certainly mention homework when I meet with the SENCO at the secondary school.

Even if I did step in, it would not be to stop all homework - it would have to be pretty dire for me to do that.

Hopefully the teachers will differentiate properly and all will be fine.

Poppy9

trevorsminted wrote: »

R

As OP above says why not move schools or better still home school then you could make him do the bare minimum in learning home and away and neighbours education

janninew wrote: »

The school I work at has a similar statement that all parents can read, if you don't like the school rules on any issue you can always vote with your feet and find an alternative.

silvercar wrote: »

My elder son's secondary (state) school has a statement of education from the governors, that you should consider when deciding to apply. It states that a commitment to homework is expected.

How many parents truely have a choice of which school their child goes to?

I don't know where you all live but in my City you are guaranteed a place at your local catchment area school. If you wish your child to go elsewhere you have to apply for a preferred placement plus meet the travel costs. When DD went to secondary school I know many parents went to appeal to get into the same school as her but as they lived just outside catchment their child didn't get in. Appeal failed so they were left with no choice aside from catchment school (if there was still room as by applying for a preferred placement you forfeited your place) or private.

So saying "if you don't like the rules don't go there" implies choice but there is no choice unless you can afford private.

Regarding homework/revision I don't remember my parents having to be involved at all but now I like all my family and friends we find it quite stressful as whole evenings can be lost to it and then you have to buy a recommended revision guide for each subject, a stack of past papers and sometimes a CD.

You also need a pc/laptop and a printer full of ink! Like most people my printer has a critical detector. The more critical it is for it to function the more likely it is to tell me there is no ink!! Thank heavens for memory sticks. If printer won't print then DD take in complete homework to teacher on time but it's just in an electronic form!

As another poster said, State schools are funded from the public purse and they should remember that. School uniform should be accessible and affordable to all, without them having to go begging for charity from the school. They should have no pretentions of mimicing public school's uniforms, it's unneccesary and does not improve the teaching in the school.

Spendless

It's pretty much the same where I live poppy. Though you aren't actually guaranteed a place, catchment is the highest criteria here (after looked after children, which is only a few children out of every school year), get a high intake year and a popular school and unless you are in catchment your chances of getting in are slim. I was aware of this and moved into catchment of my chosen school many years earlier. And the 'bespoke' colour scheme, yes son's school does this with their PE kit and the ordinary school uniform, you can't buy anywhere because the school logo is embroidered onto the clothes. I am always bemused when I see suggestions of buying a badge instead, my kids schools worked out how to get round that one many moons ago.

Poppy9

Yes we have the embroidered logo on trousers, skirts, sweatshirts and PE kit. Thankfully no blazers!