Why Primary Schools Should Stop Giving Homework

Full script

Read the whole talk.

All slides in one place. Read it through once, then practice slide by slide.

1. 01Why Primary Schools Should Stop Giving Homework

   Good evening, parents and teachers. I'm a mother of two, and every evening I watch my eight-year-old cry over worksheets at the kitchen table. Tonight, I'll argue that primary schools should stop giving regular homework.

2. 02What I'm Proposing

   Let me be clear about what I'm proposing. I'm not against learning at home. I'm against regular homework sheets for young children. Reading together for fun should still be encouraged.

3. 03Reason 1: Little Evidence for Young Children

   My first reason is evidence. A well-known 2006 review of homework research by Harris Cooper and colleagues found that homework is clearly linked to achievement in middle and high school, but the link is very weak for young primary school students.

   Source: Cooper, Robinson & Patall, "Does homework improve academic achievement? A synthesis of research, 1987–2003," Review of Educational Research (2006)

4. 04Reason 2: Time for Play and Rest

   My second reason is time. Young children learn a lot through play, conversations with family, and simply resting. Every hour of worksheets is an hour taken from those things.

5. 05Reason 3: Fairness

   My third reason is fairness. Some children have parents who can help every evening. Others have parents working late. Homework can widen the gap between them, instead of closing it.

6. 06"But Children Need Routines"

   Some parents say homework builds good study routines. I understand that. But a short daily reading time can build routines too, and schools can teach study habits during the school day.

7. 07What Schools Could Do Instead

   Instead of worksheets, schools could encourage fifteen minutes of reading together each day, offer optional fun projects, and do practice exercises in class, where teachers can help.

8. 08Conclusion

   To conclude, the research gives little support for regular homework in primary school, and childhood is short. Let's give young children their evenings back. Thank you.