SCHOOL SCRAPS HOMEWORK AFTER VOTE BY PARENTS
Parents, pupils and staff vote to banish study
Youngsters will instead be encouraged to read comics and their own choice of books, after the majority of mums, dads and pupils voted to adopt a “no homework” policy.
However, teachers were split on the issue.
Unions have applauded the school for holding a vote on the topic, saying it will give kids more time for other activities.
A PRIMARY school has made the bold decision to scrap homework – after parents voted to drop it.
Instead, pupils at Inverlochy Primary School in Fort William will be encouraged to read books, magazines and comics “for pleasure” every night in the time they used to use for homework.
The school carried out a six-week trial last year where pupils were given no homework so they had more time to play and have fun.
And following that it was decided to ask parents whether or not they wanted to ditch it on a long-term basis.
Pupils were sent home with slips that asked mums and dads to put a simple “yes” or “no” to a “no homework policy”.
The result was that 62% of parents at the 193-pupil Highland school voted to drop it.
Pupils and teachers were given a vote too and 79% of pupils voted in favour of the ban.
Meanwhile, the 10 teachers at the thriving school were split 50/50.
Jubilant parents told last night of their delight at the decision – saying their children would flourish without the burden of doing school work at home.
Dad Barry Hutchison, 38, who is a children’s author, said: “Homework stresses the kids and the parents out.
“Kids have so many things outside school, like clubs. They just need time to be kids.”
Barry, whose seven-year-old daughter Mia is in Primary 3 at the school, said parents who still wanted to give their kids homework could find material on the internet for their young ones.
And he praised the school for having a democractic ballot. He said: “I thought the vote was well done and took in everyone’s views.
“There might be some parents who were very firmly in favour of keeping homework but all the parents I’ve spoken to wanted to get rid of it.” Parent Susan Campbell, 30, voted to scrap homework for pupils, including her eight-year-old son Kadyn.
She told us: “It takes up a lot of time and quite often Kadyn has after-school clubs and things like that and it can be left until 8pm at night.
“He should be going to bed but instead we’re sitting doing homework with him.
“He’s really not that responsive at that time of night. So we voted no and we’ll do reading with him instead.”
Kadyn said: “I voted for no homework. So I’m happy.”
Leona Jones, 34, said her sixyear-old son Levi Maclean actually voted to keep homework while she voted to scrap it.
She said: “For the amount of after-school activities they have, it can be difficult to fit it in, especially when you’re a working parent.
“I don’t mind doing a bit, we’re still doing reading and I totally agree with that, but it’s for pleasure, not work. I think some other schools do this already and it says if your child still needs help or they’re struggling, they will get stuff home. It won’t be completely ruled out if they need it.”
Levi said: ““I wanted to do homework because I couldn’t read the little things for writing.”
Emma Rodger, 33, said she voted to keep homework for pupils like her five-year-old son James.
She said: “A bit of reading and sums and basic sounds for P1 are really important. I found when James was learning the sums at home it brought him on a lot.
“He wanted it to stay as well. He liked doing it.”
Inverlochy isn’t the first school in Scotland to drop homework for pupils – but it is the first to do so after staging a vote for parents.
Last month King’s Road Primary in Rosyth, Fife, scrapped homework.
However, parents there complained about the decision as they said they hadn’t been consulted.
The Inverlochy decision vote comes amid a fierce debate raging in educational circles about whether homework is good or bad