Why do children need to work at home?

I am often asked about the purpose of homework at Prep level, and more specifically why it cannot just be completed at school?

These are very good questions. Family life is on the one hand so precious that it is a nuisance if it is marred by a daily battle over ‘school’ work, however, if children wait until their GCSE years to study beyond the classroom clearly there will be some fundamental issues with their ability to succeed.

A balance is needed, and this is what schools try to address, always understanding that some children will not have been able to manage the work for a variety of reasons or circumstances, that some will have had a great deal of help and support and that others will have simply got on and done it, sometimes well and sometimes perfunctorily. This means that teachers are setting work every day that has to be stimulating but well defined, challenging but independently manageable, meaningful practice without too many twists, not too dull or repetitive, allows for proper learning and retaining, not essential for the next lesson for those who will not be able to complete it, progressive for those who need stretching and extendable for those who have further interests and enthusiasm. On the other hand the homework diet cannot all be cakes and treats, sometimes it may seem very routine, too easy or too hard, over long or unpalatable, but that too is part of preparing for life.

Naturally this is a complex set of variables, and whereas some children thrive on exercises and assignments, others find their enthusiasm wanes when faced with work to complete on their own. Learning homework is often viewed as no homework and increasingly, as it is fitted around external clubs, lessons and events, reading is confined to the last few minutes before bed – never a very good time to do anything that requires thinking!

I am all too familiar with the headache of homework sessions. I remember my frazzled mother standing over the table where my siblings and I were pretending to work each evening, and I regularly supervise my niece and nephews in their efforts to wriggle away from the mountain of things they bring home. However, I also see how the routines help to create an atmosphere and a system that works for them, and how well the children can work when they are settled. Independence is very important, so training children to have those study skills and the resilience and perseverance needed to complete activities will pay dividends in the future. Learning homework may well need help, and I am a big fan of using non-fiction books to help with information gathering, and these can be read together if there is time, to help to broaden the subject at hand.

On some occasions every child will say they don’t know how to do the work in front of them, and sometimes this might even be genuine! My advice would be to put a note on the bottom to the teacher, saying just that, and stop. Confusion of methods and frustration at mum and dad turning into teachers is not conducive to happy family life, and the teachers are there to help. If your child is too overwrought or too tired to work well then you should stop. Put a note in the book and go and do something relaxing. If the purpose of homework is to develop good work habits then consider carefully what those might be (I suggest a few below), and if what is happening is not reinforcing those positive skills then there is little point continuing until you want to throw the whole lot into the bin too!

Looking at the work you can usually see that the purpose is one or more of the following:

1. To reinforce work that has been taught and needs practising in order to increase speed and accuracy or remember and retain the skills and knowledge – this work may not be very exciting!

2. To enhance knowledge and understanding by extending something taught, or providing resources for further or richer understanding – this may be quite open ended and time consuming.

3. To allow time to reflect on concepts or topics, or just to finish an extended piece of work – this may require proper consideration of presentation and a bit of thinking and reflection time.

4. To develop independent skills and good life long work habits which include perseverance, meta cognition (coming to a realisation which work styles work best for herself), self-motivation, time management, determination, pride in presentation and content, satisfaction with completion.

You can help by

·         Providing a regular place where work can be completed undisturbed, with good light, plenty of space and a reasonable time limit

·         Providing a routine time, probably after a light snack and a chance to move around after the rigours of a very busy school day

·         Helping to signal that homework is not a punishment and can be rewarded!

·         Offering advice, but not too much assistance

·         Helping to prioritise what needs to be done (I recommend doing the horrid bit first, taking a moment for praise and then moving on to complete the rest)

·         Trying to keep the evenings as uncluttered with extra events as possible. Limiting out of school clubs to weekends when possible.

·         Making sure siblings are not too distracting, and when your child has good habits, allowing her to work away from others or away from your direct supervision, so that she knows that you trust her developing work habits.

·         A quick check at the end that everything is done, sufficient high standards have been retained and that the bag is repacked with everything required for the next day

Of course all of this assumes that your child has organised her belongings and has all of the things she needs to just to get on – but that obviously is the subject of a whole blog!!

Happy homeworking!

Girls' Education

It is a commonly understood notion that girls perform better in single sex environments. This makes sense for several reasons, firstly girls tend towards a more communicative, articulate and less physical style of learning in the classroom, and secondly they are likely to be made self-conscious or shy by the more physical and assertive learning styles used by boys. Developmentally girls mature both physically and neurologically more rapidly than boys, with better fine motor control, and ability to concentrate on small tasks for longer periods of time, and a useful ability to listen actively whilst absorbing information. Single-sex schools for boys and girls make the most of these diverse attributes, and although children do not arrive with stereotyped personalities and skills, the differences are worth noting so that the styles of teaching can be tailored to suit. The gender stereotyping that can occur in mixed schools can be avoided, instead building on the genuine interests of the child and finding her true strengths rather than perceived ones. Girls mature emotionally faster than boys and although this often means there is a need to address the resultant issues head on, and to understand the anxieties, it does help to know that there is at least a level of emotional intelligence and some common ground among the peers that enable girls to develop emotional tools for the future.

Girls’ schools have a responsibility to develop the whole person, emotionally and physically as well as academically, and to create aspirations to head for the most highly sought after professions and places in society, so confidence is high on the agenda, with added sport, drama, dance and public speaking to allow girls to develop a sense of themselves and to become assertive in the right way when it matters.

The curriculum also needs careful management, so that subjects which in the past were considered ‘best for boys’ such as science, mathematics, design technology and digital technologies are elevated and introduced early and encouraged through the girls’ emotional, communicative and creative attributes – all of which come more naturally to girls as a group. At Notre Dame Preparatory School the girls are encouraged to undertake a combined humanities and arts approach to learning, using the tools of digital technology, including iPads, data-logging, and interactive whiteboards, as well as an education rich in the sciences which are taught practically, but with a curve towards the needs of society, for example, in Year 6 all our girls undertake the St John Ambulance Young First Aider Certificate, learn how to create and deliver presentations on technical scientific knowledge and learn to set up and manage a debate on ethical issues, as well as following the broader National Curriculum. This initiative is called TASK, with the T standing for thinking – certainly the most important thing for any girl to learn.

In the sporting arena the school offers a rotating ‘sport for all’ session, as many girls love participating in team or accuracy sports, but begin by being far less confident than their brothers about experiencing unfamiliar activities or trying out for a team. The idea here is that the more competitive children,  as well as those quietly competent, have the freedom to participate and to be themselves, which can spur the remaining few into enjoyment and success. The school is then able to offer both competitive and non-competitive sports for the girls to enjoy, and to develop life-long fitness and wellbeing, away from the enthusiastic proactivity of physically confident boys. Sports ranging from racket sports such as badminton and tennis, to team sports such as hockey, football, lacrosse and netball to activities such as golf or cross country are offered to bring out the best in each girl. Success breeds success and the girls need to be taught this in order to broach their reticence and develop their skills to reach out to try new things. The football clubs are particularly popular in girls’ schools, because there is no stereotype to confuse those who want to join in and have a great time.

Music and drama have a very immediate pull for girls and drama groups, choirs, orchestras, ensembles and class activities are able to pick up on themes in other lessons as well as teaching beyond the basic skills and giving them poise. The relative emotional maturity allows for thoughtful improvising and a nurturing of the different aspects of personality. Girls enjoy humour in the classroom but are less able to cope with sarcasm or jokes that put them into the limelight. Creative lessons allow them to explore this as well as leading to fantastic performances and success in the future. The idea is to capitalise on the feminine side and to develop the skills needed to become an all-round amazing person.

A fear often expressed to me is that girls in single sex schools will not have the opportunity to get to know boys – but I ask them to consider what that might mean for some girls: less chance to play stereotypical boys sports, a leaning away from sciences and certain technical subjects, a reluctance to be noticed in a classroom and often being uncomfortable in a physically active (and as many girls see it, aggressive) environment. Boys are a fact of life, and there will be plenty of opportunities throughout life to play and work alongside them, and schools are aware of this, taking care to present role models of successful male teachers alongside the women, but for some girls, the sanctuary of an all-female class offers the most positive and effective start to the educational journey.