Primary school pupils discuss the pros and cons of homework.
Christopher Fletcher, 11, is in Year Six at Ring Cross primary school in Islington, north London.
| Kids should get harder homework because the harder it gets, the more intelligent we get. |
Homework? All I get is reading and the chance to practise my spelling. That's all. I think we definitely should get more than that. Much more.
We should get homework in order to become better at the things we want to do. If you want to be a lawyer or whatever you need to practise your English and maths.
Homework helps you to become what you want to be. Also, my parents think that I don't get enough.
Kids should get harder homework because the harder it gets, the more intelligent we get. It should start at age 10 or 11, because when you start at that age you'll know what it's all about when you get to secondary school. We would get used to it. How much homework we get is decided by the school minister in the government and probably by teachers. They're clever people and they're the ones who like telling us what to do, so they're the ones who should be giving it.
The teachers know your ability and they know whether theyre giving you too much or too little. If I was Prime Minister I would ask teachers to give a little bit more homework.
Once I took home a spelling assignment and one of the words meant to be heron - the bird. My brother asked me if I knew how to spell heroin and I got the two mixed up and spelled the word as heroin by mistake.
The time it takes to do homework depends on whether you've got a little or a lot. Something that is big enough should take a couple of days and we should get projects that big because the more you get the cleverer you get.
It's not an invasion of your personal time. If I got it, I definitely would spend more time on homework than I would with my friends. If I didn't, I could grow up being a total idiot and not know what I'm doing. I wouldnt be able to get money and in the end I could be homeless. I would spend all night on my homework if I had to.
Homework helps you to realise that it ain't a joke. If you don't practise, dont do your work, then you wont get a proper, sensible job. How could any person survive when they get older if didnt do it?
Koiya Donovan, 11, is in Year Six at St Johns Highbury Vale Church of England primary in Islington.
I dont get any homework yet and I think that Is really bad since we are going to be moving to secondary school soon. We need homework. If you dont do homework, because some people may be slow at working in class, then you might be able to catch up with others and therefore you might end up being a bit behind. Its also a way to learn more. My parents think I dont have enough and I agree with them.
Theres no point in doing something so hard that you cant do it. Theres no point in doing something so easy that it's too easy for you, because you wont be learning anything. So you just need to get enough the right balance.
Nine-year-olds should get homework. There should be a balance between your own personal time as well as the work you have to do so you dont get stressed from studying too much. If we were being well prepared for homework in secondary school we should be getting homework now.
Some schools do hand out homework and my school does not. The head teacher or the form teacher must make the decision, but I would have thought it should be part of the national curriculum.
Form teachers know what we need to learn and they know what they've been teaching us. In that sense they know more than the Prime Minister, so it should be up to them.
Teachers shouldnt really pile the work on top of us and then expect us to do everything in one day. We're not wonder people, we're just kids. We're here to learn, not to already know things. That is how homework would help.
If I did get homework I would work on it. My friends live miles away from me so I wouldn't be distracted.
Homework is worth it if that means you are going to get a good education, grow up and get a proper job.
I think it is very irresponsible of all teachers not to give us homework when we need to learn so many things, and we need more than just reading.
About the team
Interviews by editor Stuart Fletcher, 14, and reporters Ellie Harries, 9, and Georgina Drinkwater, 13. This article was published as a Friday's Child column in the Times Educational Supplement.
