Recently, Inverlochy Primary School in Fort William, Scotland, conducted a poll regarding the requirement for students to complete homework.
62% of parents and 72% of students believe that students do not need to do homework. This percentage rises to 50% among teachers.
With these results, students at Inverlochy are relieved from the burden of homework. The school encourages children to read comics, magazines, and books during their homework time, as reported by Express.
Parents believe that children should spend time playing and relaxing. Image: Getty.
Last year, the school experimented with a six-week period without assigning homework to allow students more time to play and relax.
Barry Hutchison, a children’s author with a child attending Inverlochy, supports the school’s new policy.
“Homework makes both students and parents anxious. Children have many activities after school, including participating in clubs. Kids need time to just be kids,” he said.
Susan Campbell, another parent, expressed concern that homework takes up too much time, impacting other activities and even their children’s sleep schedule.
Before implementing this new policy, a spokesperson for the Scottish Education Agency stated that schools and teachers have the authority to make decisions based on their assessment of the needs of their students.
It is crucial that any decision made must receive parental consent and ensure that it is a suitable program that benefits students.
Eileen Prior, a member of the Scottish Parent Teacher Council, also voiced her support for Inverlochy’s new policy.
“Homework should be a tool that helps students consolidate knowledge. Therefore, instead of burdensome assignments, schools should create opportunities to showcase what they have learned in a more interactive way with parents,” she suggested.
Currently, Inverlochy is the first school in Scotland to mandate that students do not complete homework after the school considered the opinions of parents, teachers, and students.
Last month, King’s Road Primary School in the country also issued a similar policy, but faced backlash from parents because the school did not consider student feedback before making the decision.
According to Zing
