COULD DO BETTER
Why schools are dumping homework
● Some government and private schools are scrapping homework and encouraging young children to fly kites, ride bikes or go for walks instead.
The King Edward VII Preparatory School in Johannesburg abolished written homework at the beginning of the year while Woodridge Preparatory, a private school near Port Elizabeth, banned it last month.
St George’s Preparatory in Port Elizabeth and state school Merchiston Preparatory in Pietermaritzburg are considering stopping homework. St John’s Preparatory in Johannesburg, an independent school, stopped giving formal homework to pupils up to Grade 2 in 2016.
Sun Valley Primary in Fish Hoek, Cape Town, gave homework the boot in 2015. Since then, the demand to play sport has been so great that the school had to create two sports sessions a day.
“The kids are out playing and with that comes a drop in obesity and a drop in the sedentary lifestyle,” said principal Gavin Keller. “Children now have the time to jump into bed with a book in the evening and read. We can’t keep up with the demand from children for books from our library.”
He said the school’s results in tests last year “was [some] of the best ever” despite homework having been scrapped.
In an e-mail to the school after it abolished homework, one of the parents, Adri Jones, wrote: “The main benefit has been time for me to be a mom, not a drillmaster trying to get tasks ticked off my list.”
Educational psychologist Shirley Kokot this week confirmed that an increasing number of young children were experiencing high levels of stress and anxiety because schools were overloading them with homework.
A teacher at King Edward VII Prep said he and his colleagues had found homework to be a nightmare for overstressed parents, who spent a lot of time in traffic and then had to help their children complete projects and assignments.
Spelling and reading
“Now the boys are under less pressure so they can actually be boys. It has had a phenomenally positive spin-off.”
The teacher, who asked not to be named because he did not have permission from the education department to speak to the media, said the boys, while waiting for supper to be prepared at home, could practise their spelling of words or do reading instead of doing formal written homework.
Woodridge Preparatory headmaster Trevor von Berg, whose peers have applauded his “brave” decision to scrap homework, said a child’s day at school, which started at 8am and ended at 4.30pm, was a long one.
“You want children to enjoy learning and the experience has got to be a positive one. I think homework wasn’t creating that positive attitude.
“We have also encouraged family time. There’s so many different things children can learn, outside of schoolwork, from just having a general conversation with their parents.”
Trenwyth Pledger, whose 10-year-old triplets are in Grade 4 at Woodridge Preparatory, is among hundreds of parents who are happy with the school’s decision to ban homework.
“It was exhausting for them to spend two hours just catching up on homework when they had such a long day at school.”
Palesa Motaung, 12, a Grade 7 pupil at Woodridge Prep, said she felt “less stressful” now and had more time to read.
St John’s Prep headmaster Patrick Lees said not giving formal homework to Grade R to Grade 2 pupils meant they had more time for play and to read for pleasure.
“Creative play and inquiry are central to a young child’s development.”
His schoolboys were encouraged to practise musical instruments, draw maps to treasures or their route to school, bake and cook or play card and board games.
His Grade 3-7 pupils are still given formal homework, but this was not given “for the sake of giving it”, he said.
“Homework should not be onerous, and it should have as little impact on family time as possible.”
St George’s Prep principal Alex Hall, who Picture: Karl Schoemaker is “a big advocate of killing homework”, said that “to a large extent it kills creativity because it becomes an onerous and anxious task at home”.
He added: “I am really hoping that in 2019 we can say St George’s Prep is also a nohomework zone.”
Merchiston Prep principal Dave Beetar, whose school is workshopping and debating the merits and demerits of giving homework, said: “Personally, I would like to see homework abolished.”
The Basic Education Department did not respond to questions.
Alex Hall Headmaster of St George’s Preparatory School in Port Elizabeth