has ireland banned homework

President Michael D Higgins says homework should be banned in Ireland

The country’s favourite leader believes that school activities should end at the school gate and students should be encouraged to engage in more creative pursuits

• 10:39, 21 JAN 2023

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President Michael D Higgins has called for homework to be banned.

The country’s favourite leader has given hope to a new generation of students that the bane of their afterschool evenings could be scrapped. President Higgins argues that this would make time for young people to engage in more creative pursuits outside school hours.

The former Arts Minister believes that school activities should end at the school gate. He was speaking to RTE’s news2day current affairs and news programme for children on the occasion of the programme’s 20th birthday.

Read more: Children being 'corrupted' by drug dealing situation in Oliver Bond flats, Dail told

When asked what his opinion of homework President Higgins said: “I think myself, really that the time at home, and the time in the school is an educational experience and it should get finished at the school and people should be able to use their time for other creative things.”

To mark the show’s two decades on air, students from St Kevin’s National School, Littleton, County Tipperary put questions from RTÉ news2day viewers to President Higgins at Áras an Uachtaráin. In a wide-ranging interview, the children asked the President questions like, what was your favourite sport when you were in school?

When you were nine years old what did you want to be? And when did you decide you wanted to be President?

The students also asked the President about his dogs, his official trips abroad, his favourite subject in school, differences between now and when he was a child and his favourite book. The President also spoke to the children about his love of handball and the importance of friendship in their lives.

RTÉ news2day will broadcast some of the President’s interview as part of Friday afternoon’s birthday celebrations at 4.20pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ News channel and the full interview will be available later on Friday evening on the RTÉ Player. In a message to the children of Ireland and the viewers of RTÉ news2day, President Michael D. Higgins gave this advice: “To stay curious about everything and I think it’s important to make sure you don’t miss the joy of sharing information.

“And I think an important thing is friendship and to make sure that there’s no one left without friendship and that people belong. And we will all do individual things... but I think friendships that you make will in fact always be great memories and that is so important. And also have the courage to stand your own ground and let other children be allowed the space of standing their ground too because none of us are the same.

“We’re all unique but at the same time we have a lot going for us.” President Higgins also encouraged the children of Ireland to speak the Irish language.

He encouraged them to speak Irish in a fun way and to feel free to use whatever bits of the language that they have.

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Irish Mirror readers overwhelmingly back President's call for 'homework to be banned'

President Michael D Higgins has offered hope to a new generation of schoolchildren

• 13:17, 23 JAN 2023

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Irish Mirror readers have almost unanimously agreed that homework should be scrapped for schoolchildren after a poll asked if the Irish president's call was warranted.

President Michael D Higgins called for homework to be banned in Ireland , offering hope for a new generation of students looking to take back their time after the school bell tolls.

The Irish Mirror put the question to the public in a poll within the article, which detailed his cry for young people to engage in more creative pursuits "outside of school hours."

Read More : President Higgins calls for homework to be banned in Ireland

We asked "Should homework be banned?", which was answered with a 98% majority, Yes.

In a landslide decision, 57,440 readers voted yes, while just 1,211 voted no.

If implemented, this new approach would mean that school activities would end at the gate, according to President Higgins, who made the call last week.

He was speaking to current affairs and news programme for children, RTE’s news2day on the occasion of the programme’s 20th anniversary on Irish television.

"I think myself, really that the time at home, and the time in the school is an educational experience and it should get finished at the school and people should be able to use their time for other creative things," the former Arts Minister told schoolchildren in attendance.

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Banning homework: Norma Foley won't debate homework issue with President Michael D. Higgins

Michael D Higgins suggested that school activities should end at the school gates

• 08:28, 27 JAN 2023
• Updated 13:12, 20 JUL 2023

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Minister for Education, Norma Foley, has said she won't debate the homework ban issue with President Michael D Higgins.

School policy on homework

Last week, Higgins told the nation's children that he was against schoolwork continuing beyond the school gates, in an address broadcast on RTÉ's news2day.

Foley said it was up to schools to decide on their homework policy.

She told The Irish Mirror that she wasn't going to get into it with the president.

"It would not be appropriate for a government minister to engage in public debate with the office of the president," she said.

"Currently schools are free to have their own policy on homework and these policies are created in conjunction with senior management and staff, the boards of management, parents and the pupils.

"Schools are in of themselves places where creative pursuits are cultivated, nurtured and encouraged and that creativity may also be reflected in homework."

Support for banning homework

Meanwhile, a government minister has said that it is "important" to include children in discussions about homework policies in schools.

Irish Mirror readers were also overwhelmingly in favour of banning homework, with 98 per cent of readers voting in favour of a ban.

In a landslide decision, 57,440 readers voted yes, while just 1,211 voted no.

Speaking on RTÉ last week, Higgins argued that getting rid of homework would allow young people more time to engage in creative pursuits outside of school hours.

The president was asked for his thoughts on homework and responded that he wasn't in favour of it.

"I think myself, really that the time at home, and the time in the school is an educational experience and it should get finished at the school and people should be able to use their time for other creative things."

Benefits of homework

Minister Foley recently said that her department doesn't "issue any guidelines relating to homework being given in schools.

"It is a matter for each school, at local level, to arrive at its own homework policy".

It followed a question from Fine Gael's Neale Richmond who asked if research has been carried out by her department into the benefits of ending the provision of homework for primary school pupils.

He told The Irish Mirror that children should be involved in conversations about their schools homework policy.

Minister Richmond said: "I submitted the Parliamentary Question following a visit to one of my local primary schools.

"The pupils were genuinely interested in the policy relating to homework going forward and I agreed it's an important discussion to involve pupils in."

Foley told her government colleague that the Department of Education has not commissioned research on the matter.

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The President Of Ireland Wants To Get Rid Of Homework & Honestly, He's Onto Something

“The time in the school is an educational experience and it should get finished at the school.”

Do you know who doesn’t like homework? Kids — and certain presidents. In an impassioned plea to the people of his nation, President Michael D. Higgins has called for a ban on homework across Ireland. And if small children were given the right to vote tomorrow, I feel fairly certain I know whose name they would be supporting on the ballot.

Higgins, who is himself a former Arts Minister of Ireland and therefore, in my opinion, knows a little about the subject, spoke to Ireland’s news program for kids RTE’s news2day at St. Kevin’s School in Tipperary about a number of subjects. What he wanted to be when he was a kid himself. What was his favorite sport in school, which he said was handball. When did he decide he wanted to be president. And then, the mutual bane of their existence — homework.

“I think myself, really that the time at home, and the time in the school is an educational experience and it should get finished at the school and people should be able to use their time for other creative things,” Higgins told his interviewers, four children hanging on his every word.

While it remains unclear if Higgins has begun any official paperwork to ban homework, which would ironically be homework for him, his sentiment resonated with his many fans. Children and social media users alike in fact. One person tweeted their appreciation of the fact that Higgins was “running his nation like the little Hobbit he is.”

Another social media user wondered if Higgins was really a “forest sprite.”

This social media user found the idea inspiring , writing, “We need a national conversation on how to bring more play, creativity, imagination, movement and positive experiences into our children’s lives. Banning homework would be a great first step.”

Higgins ended his interview with a message to children about the importance of fostering their friendships and telling them to “stay curious about everything and I think it’s important to make sure you don’t miss the joy of sharing information. And I think an important thing is friendship and to make sure that there’s no one left without friendship and that people belong. And we will all do individual things... but I think friendships that you make will in fact always be great memories and that is so important.”

I think he’s on to something.

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Independent TV

Showing now | lifestyle.

Mary-Kate Findon | Saturday 21 January 2023 16:06 GMT

Irish president suggests schools should avoid setting children homework

Ireland's president has suggested that schools should avoid assigning children homework, leaving school at the gates.

Michael D Higgins shared his beliefs on the matter during a sit down with students that was broadcast on RTE.

"People should be able to use their time for other creative things," he told the children during his visit to Tipperary.

The 81-year-old also offered words of wisdom for the young people, urging them to "stay curious about everything."

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President of Ireland calls for homework to be banned

President of Ireland Michael D Higgins. (Source: Getty)

The President of Ireland has made his thoughts known about homework, saying it should be left at the gate and children should be able to use their leisure time for "creative things".

Speaking to RTE’s news2day - a current affairs and news programme for children, Michael D Higgins answered questions on a wide range of topics, the Irish Mirror reports .

When pressed on his views about homework Higgins said: “I think myself, really that the time at home, and the time in the school is an educational experience and it should get finished at the school and people should be able to use their time for other creative things.”

Higgins, a former arts minister, told children “to stay curious about everything and I think it’s important to make sure you don’t miss the joy of sharing information.

“And I think an important thing is friendship and to make sure that there’s no one left without friendship and that people belong. And we will all do individual things... but I think friendships that you make will in fact always be great memories and that is so important.

“And also have the courage to stand your own ground and let other children be allowed the space of standing their ground too because none of us are the same.

“We’re all unique but at the same time we have a lot going for us.”

Higgins also encouraged the children of Ireland to speak the Irish language.

While the role of president in Ireland is mainly a ceremonial one, it does have some sway over how the government operates.

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Parent 'When she can’t figure something out for homework, we head into nuclear meltdown'

OUR PRESIDENT MICHAEL D Higgins recently made headlines when he called for homework to be banned in Ireland , saying “People should be able to use their time for other creative things”.

As a parent, I felt that this was such a welcome breath of fresh air. I have one child in sixth class and one in first year, and I feel like we have been arguing about homework since the dawn of time.

At its peak, I was working a job that was a 90-minute commute each way. I would drop them to the childminder at 6.30 am and collect them at 6 pm. And really, who doesn’t want to come home from a gruelling 12-hour day to teach themselves long division so they can then teach a grumpy, overtired and hungry child, who has never been more certain about anything as they are about the fact that they absolutely do not want to learn long division tonight.

The homework dance

I have since moved to a job much closer to home, where I have a much more flexible working arrangement. But it hasn’t made the homework dance any less tedious. My sixth classer is absolutely shocked and outraged every single evening. No matter how many warnings I give, or the fact that we have been doing this for almost eight years, it’s always the same story. One of her teachers used the phrase ‘passive non-compliance’ and it is an excellent way to describe her approach.

Instead of refusing to do homework, she agrees it has to be done. She is rational and logical; she understands. Then she disappears off upstairs and I only remember 40 minutes later.

I curse myself once I realise. I know better. She drags the bag downstairs and tips the contents onto the table. An open yoghurt rolls onto the floor. I ask for her journal and she pretends to look through the mess, in the same way  that I pretend to look for my wallet when the restaurant bill arrives. I refuse to look away because she is the opposite of every horror movie villain and actually stops moving altogether once I break eye contact.

We find the journal. At this point in the year, it has been carefully decorated with various fruit and yoghurt spills. It has an interesting odour and overall, I would prefer it not to touch anything in the kitchen. She hasn’t written down her homework and is as surprised by this development as I am. She offers to text her class, which could yield a response in 10 minutes or four hours. It’s getting closer to dinner and we both know I need the table cleared. If she moves the books upstairs to her room, we will never see them again.

The tension builds like the pile of empty Frubes at the bottom of her bag and I ask her to read a book until someone responds.

Her phone finally pings with the homework and we both survey the list in silence. It’s very maths-heavy. We could be here all night. She is adamant she has never seen these sums in her life, and the teacher has never covered them. I suppress the urge to headbutt the table and instead call my older daughter to help because in an unprovoked act of violence, they changed the way they do maths, and my way is apparently wrong (I am not sure it was ever right).

Brace yourself

The older daughter is in first year and hasn’t needed homework help in years. She gets it done herself, every evening. At her first-year parent-teacher meetings, her maths teacher noted that her homework is usually done before the bell even rings. But aside from gaining some admirable time management skills, I don’t see any real benefit for her (or the teachers who have to correct the work she flew through in minutes).

The work that isn’t done inside the bell comes home in a school bag which I have to brace myself before lifting and which has been responsible for the downfall of many hooks under the stairs.

I can only imagine what it is doing to her spine. When she can’t figure something out for homework, we head into nuclear meltdown levels. The kids have to have a certain level of understanding before they can explain to us what needs to be done. If they have that, they don’t need to do homework, and if they don’t, they can’t get the homework done.

Since starting secondary, she now has homework on weekends and over midterms, along with project work and study for regular assessments. Yet every time I hear discussions on how to get kids more active and outdoors, we never seem to address how much time they are spending while sitting down doing schoolwork, or how many evenings they spend alone in their bedrooms. We don’t question if this work will be beneficial to them in later life, or why we give up so many evenings to this.

Do they benefit?

The school day is so long for them as it is and already incorporates so much information that they will leave at the school gates and never use in adulthood (looking at you, long division). Childhood development experts say that a general guideline for attention spans is two to three minutes per year of age. So you can reasonably expect a 10-year-old to focus for 20 to 30 minutes, yet we are asking them to focus and re-focus for up to seven hours.

How much of the day can they actually retain? And then, while they are overwhelmed and exhausted we expect them to learn thousands of little life lessons too, like making friends, navigating friendship groups and learning new skills in the yard or the PE hall. They might not sit at a desk for the whole time but they are learning for the duration of the school day and they come home exhausted.

The expectation to then sit down and do more work very often pushes them over the edge.

For a country that has recently negotiated the right to switch off , can we not argue the same for our kids? Ireland has had a code of practice on the right to disconnect since 2021. This applies to all employees and provides guidance on the right to disengage from work outside of your working hours. It is not best practice, it is the basic standard in law, and a bare minimum to try and avoid burnout. School is already a full-time job. Why are we putting so many demands on such young minds and overworking them before they even start work?

Schools in Finland are miles ahead on this front . Although Finnish schools do not give homework, they lead global scores for maths and science. The belief is that activities such as having dinner with family, exercising or getting good rest are far more beneficial to a child’s performance in school, and overall mental health. Kids can help to prepare dinners, hang out with friends or read a book. How many more kids would settle down with a book in the evening if they weren’t staring at books in frustration for most of the day? And how much more would they get out of their school day if they began it with a fresh and rested mind?

Although an increase in school performance is hugely beneficial, we have to remind ourselves that it isn’t the end goal. High maths and science scores won’t guarantee happy adults. Unfortunately, we can’t do anything to guarantee the happiness or success of our kids later in life.

But helping them find something they are great at in childhood, or a hobby that brings meaning or value to their lives, is how we can provide them with the tools for adulthood.

Our unquestioning acceptance of homework goes against what we know about activity, exercise and even mental health. How many hours do we want our kids sitting down each day? How much time should they spend working? And how much of the evenings and weekends should belong to the school?

We have an opportunity to make things easier for the generations after us. And as a wise woman once said, “Don’t make unnecessary journeys”. This could be an opportunity to make a real difference, to remove something which serves no purpose, and to give families back their precious evenings.

Margaret is a busy mum, working and living in Kildare.  

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14th Mar 2023

Pupils and parents call on government to introduce homework ban

Kat O'Connor

Is it time to ban homework in Ireland?

Parents and pupils are calling on Minister for Education Norma Foley to ban homework in Ireland.

Many parents have voiced their concerns about the level of homework their kids get, but they’re taking it a step further by writing to the Education Minister.

Foley has received multiple letters from both children and parents about why a homework ban is needed.

According to The Irish Examiner , children revealed that homework is having a negative impact on their lives outside of school.

Many pupils believe they do enough work in school and stressed that there is little benefit to spending hours doing homework in the evenings.

One child wrote;

“I do not ask for homework to be completely banned but for it to be reduced to a certain limit. Otherwise, if there is a constant build-up of homework daily, it can cause stress and even a lack of exercise which will affect a person’s well-being.”

Many children told Foley that homework was “a waste of time”. Others said it was a “burden to parents, kids, and teachers.”

Varadkar said homework should not be banned completely

Both Leo Varadkar and Michael D. Higgins have expressed concerns about the amount of homework children are getting in Ireland.

However, Varadkar does not believe in a complete ban on homework.

He previously said there’s a place for homework in our education system, but we need to have a fair balance.

“You could have a long day in class, get home in the early evening, and then face, you know, three hours of homework.

“I remember that when I was a kid, staying up very late to do homework,” he shared.

Varadkar stressed that it shouldn’t be banned completely, but scaled back.

President Higgins also voiced his concerns about homework

The President of Ireland agreed with parents and said children should have more free time after school.

He told RTÉ’s news2day: “I think myself, really that the time at home and the time in school is an educational experience and it should get finished at the school and people should be able to use their time for other creative things.”

Do you think homework should be banned in Ireland?

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27th Jan 2023

No plans to abolish homework, says Minister Foley

Kat O'Connor

Do you think homework should be scrapped in Ireland?

Minister for Education Norma Foley says she has no plans to abolish homework in Ireland.

She has spoken out about the issue after President Michael D. Higgins said it is time for homework to be scrapped because it is outdated.

But the Minister for Education does not agree.

Many parents and teachers agree that it is time for the outdated practice to be scrapped. However, the Education Minster said it is up to each individual school to set its own homework policy.

“It would not be appropriate for a Government Minister to engage in the public debate with the office of the President.

“Currently schools are free to have their own policy on homework.

Minister Foley said schools can make their own homework policies, but it is not up to the Government to scrap homework.

“These policies are created in conjunction with senior management and staff, the boards of management, parents, and the pupils.

“Schools are in of themselves places where creative pursuits are cultivated, nurtured and encouraged.

“That creativity may also be reflected in homework.”

The President of Ireland told Newsday that children should spend their time doing other activities.

“I think myself, really that the time at home and the time in school is an educational experience.

He continued, “It should get finished at the school.”

This will then give children more time for other activities after school. Pupils could also have more time to socialise.

“People should be able to use their time for other creative things.”

Many parents feel it takes up too much of our children’s time during the evening, but others feel it helps them make more progress in school. Others also believe it benefits their communication and reading skills.

What do you think? Is it time for homework to be scrapped?

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Students and parents plead case for homework ban

School children and parents pleaded with the Minister for Education Norma Foley to step in and introduce a homework ban.

In letters to the minister, kids wrote about how they were being forced to give up hobbies because they were given so much work to do after school.

The correspondence followed comments by President Michael D Higgins in January that a ban on homework should be considered.

In one letter, a school child wrote about how seven hours of school each day was “plenty of education” and that more work on top was unnecessary.

“I do not ask for homework to be completely banned but for it to be reduced to a certain limit. Otherwise, if there is a constant build-up of homework daily, it can cause stress and even a lack of exercise which will affect a person’s well-being.”

Another said they felt homework was a “waste of time” and that a ban should be introduced.

They wrote: “Kids should be doing more creative things with their time after school. Many kids have had to stop doing hobbies they have because of it.

“It is a burden to parents, kids, and teachers [and] so for the above reasons, I think you should BAN HOMEWORK!”

Homework annoys teachers

One hand-written letter, decorated with a Minnie Mouse bow, said homework was “annoying for teachers and pupils”.

“I play soccer and love writing stories, but because of homework, I have no time for doing these things. For teachers, it gives them more copies to correct and they have to go through the trouble of deciding what [homework] to give.”

A secondary school student said that if “sleeping isn’t for school” then “work isn’t for home”.

They explained how they did between one and two hours of homework every evening after school and sometimes more.

“When I would finish, there would be barely any time for me to relax before I had to go to bed to get enough sleep to get up in the morning,” said their letter.

“As I’m sure you’re aware, our president Michael D Higgins also thinks that homework should be banned so if you don’t want to listen to me, listen to our President.”

Another suggested there could at least be a compromise so that students would not be given homework for over the weekend.

“[This would relieve] students of mental stress,” they said.

Help parents

One young student said they were left with no time to help their parents, or to learn how to cook or do other activities around the house.

They said: “We all do activities like swimming, dance, and all other sports. It’s hard work and it’s stressful and it’s unfair.”

A single parent also wrote in to explain how one of their children was getting two hours of written homework every day.

They said: “We need time to teach them life skills such as sewing, cooking, how to work the washing machine, change their own bed sheets and personal care.

“These teachings are very hard for parents with zero [time] left in the evenings. There is no time for them to spend with siblings and parents because they are so tired.”

In responses, the Department of Education told the letter writers that homework policy was not within its powers.

In emails, they said: “The Department does not issue direct guidelines relating to homework being given in schools. It is a matter for each school, at local level, to arrive at its own homework policy.

“In keeping with good practice, the process of drafting a homework policy should involve consultation with teachers, parents, and students.

“However, the Department does acknowledge that homework can play an important part in helping pupils prepare for forthcoming class work and in reinforcing work already covered during class time.”

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Does homework have any benefits for primary school children? Jen Hogan and Dr Leah O’Toole discuss

Homework is an emotive and divisive issue among parents and children. the evidence doesn’t support traditional approaches.

Homework, what is it good for? And what change should there be?

Jen Hogan: Homework instils unhealthy work and play habits

There’s a notable change in the mood in this house since homework returned. (The kids aren’t that impressed either.) Goodbye free and easy evenings of summer; we’re back to the days of kitchen table battles, once again instilling unhealthy work, rest and play habits in our children, as the single worst thing about school takes hold.

I know I’m not alone. Years of campaigning against homework has led to countless discussions with other parents and teachers who would also like to see an end to this most miserable of tasks. With studies – including one carried out by Duke University, Sydney – showing no strong links between homework and academic achievement in primary school, one would have to wonder why we’ve allowed it to continue at all.

At best, homework appears to make little to no difference to a primary schoolchild’s academic performance. At worst it is counterproductive, creating a negative association with education and learning. But we Irish are sticklers for tradition, and appear loath to let it go.

As adults, we often grapple with the difficulties of finding and maintaining a healthy work-life balance. And though many of us work beyond the hours we should, this is not something to be advocated. You’re unlikely to hear anyone tell an adult “do you know what you should do after a day’s work? You should go home and do some more”. And yet here we are, telling children who are focusing and sitting and concentrating for large parts of their day that they should go home and do some more.

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Play is children’s work. That is what we should be advocating and that is what we should be facilitating.

Consolidation is often an argument in favour of homework, and yet research does not back this up. For a child who has already grasped a concept, doing more in the evening feels largely like “going through the motions”. For the child who hasn’t grasped a concept, it’s even worse. Trying to do so after a long day in school, when the child is tired, and maybe even cranky, is never going to be the best time to go at it again. The phrase “flogging a dead horse” springs to mind.

Many children and parents consider homework to be the most miserable of tasks. Photograph: iStock

If teachers were freed up from the time they spend allocating and correcting homework, there would be more time to revisit the concepts being studied – only this time there would be continuity to the way it’s taught.

Keeping on top of what our children are learning, and any difficulties they may be encountering, can coexist with a no-homework policy. The apps we became so familiar with during Covid, such as Aladdin, can be put to good use with a very brief weekly update. The copybooks and workbooks could come home at weekends for parents to browse.

Reading is a given. Every parent wants their child to read, and ideally for pleasure so that they’ll choose to do it more. And there is more to learning than formal academics and yet an ability to support formal academics in informal ways. Learning life skills, having time to do the things that float your boat, and having precious family time matters. As does wellbeing – the actual things children can do to support their wellbeing, rather than writing about those things in the workbook, for homework.

In Ireland one in six adults has difficulties with literacy. One in four has difficulties with maths. That’s a lot of households where parents struggle to support their children with homework, causing embarrassment, shame and further stress. For children with additional needs, the stress of homework can be unbearable for the child and family. Not every child has a suitable home environment for homework. And not every child experiences family life and its complexities and commitments the same way. Blinkered privilege often sees us oblivious to the challenges others may face. “Pull the ladder up Jack, sure mine are grand”, just doesn’t cut it any more.

Few children enjoy doing more school work after coming home from school. Photograph: iStock

Dr Leah O’Toole and Dr Joan Kiely: If homework is to have a role, it needs to be reinvented

When it comes to research on homework, there is such a range of evidence, both positive and negative, that conceivably it would be possible to champion any opinion.

The positive impacts of homework include inculcation of good study habits and skills, improved self-directed learning, and increased parental involvement in children’s education. There is also evidence that homework can lead to physical and emotional exhaustion for children, and denial of recreation time.

Homework can cause confusion for children because teachers and parents can interpret tasks differently, and sometimes parents over-assist with homework, limiting children’s independent learning. It can reinforce disparities in achievement because children experience different levels of support at home. This can be misinterpreted by schools as lack of interest by some parents, without acknowledging the differing pressures on some families in terms of poverty, lack of quiet space to work, lack of time due to work or other caring duties, or lack of capacity for some parents based on their own educational levels. There is evidence of significant stress caused by homework to children and parents alike, and some writers talk about the “colonisation of the home” by homework. Significantly, many of these studies were done with older children, and homework in the primary years is under-researched.

A few years ago, as part of a larger study of parental involvement in children’s education, we investigated experiences of homework in primary schools in Ireland. It proved to be a highly emotive and contested issue. One of the potential benefits of homework identified was the creation of links between home and school, allowing parents to understand what their children were learning, and how well (or not) they were managing. However, homework was associated with considerable stress for children and parents in our study, regardless of children’s dispositions or academic abilities.

Homework can be associated with considerable stress for children and parents

Considering the fact that homework felt mostly stressful to parents, we argued that it does not support positive parental involvement in children’s learning and may not be the best tool for schools to make links with homes. Homework set was often incongruent with practical reality, in its type, amount, purpose and time limits. Choice was crucial in the effectiveness of homework, but it was rare for children to be asked their views. When children were offered choice in the format of homework (for example, showing knowledge of the same topic through a written submission, a verbal presentation or a visual/arts-based creation) or when to do it (for example, a submission at the end of the week with homework done on days that suited them), children’s motivation and learning improved. Stress for both children and parents also reduced.

We supported schools to trial alternatives to traditional homework, including dialogic story-reading, games and oral-language activities like practising weather reports or interviewing grandparents. Children loved this type of homework and highlighted its playful nature as well as the choice provided. Parents also reported that this homework was more enjoyable and less stressful, although they did note that it still took up a lot of their time. Recommendations from our study included increased guidance on homework at a national level, a review of school homework policies, incorporation of more playful, fun activities into homework, and more choice for children.

We encouraged schools when setting homework to consider the demands on children’s and parents’ time, and the importance of free play, particularly outdoors, for learning and development. This becomes even more crucial the younger the child, and we suggested removing homework altogether for junior-infant classes except for story reading.

So overall, when it comes to homework, like many things in education and in life, it isn’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it.

Dr Leah O’Toole is assistant professor in early childhood education at Maynooth University and Dr Joan Kiely is head of early childhood education at Marino Institute of Education

[  How homework can help children feel happier  ]

Ten ways schools are reinventing homework

1. Mindfulness Mondays (The only homework given is mindfulness practice)

2. Homework set at beginning of week and the child decides when to do it

3. Homework choices given

4. Homework differentiated according to children’s needs

5. Physical exercise homework only during the Active Schools Programme

6. Teddy Bear homework – bring home Teddy and record his adventures with the family

7. Child teaches something they learned at school at home to their family

8. Oral language exercises such as interviewing a family member or playing language games

9. Reading for pleasure programme. Reading only homework

10. Project – based and cross-curricular homework

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