is homework compulsory in primary school

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The Great British Homework Debate 2024 – Is It Necessary At Primary School?

Alexander Athienitis

The homework debate is never much out of the news. Should homework be banned? Is homework at primary school a waste of time? Do our children get too much homework?

Not long ago, UK-based US comedian Rob Delaney set the world alight with a tweet giving his own personal view of homework at primary school. We thought, as an organisation that provides maths homework support on a weekly basis, it was time to look at the facts around the homework debate in primary schools as well as, of course, reflecting the views of celebrities and those perhaps more qualified to offer an opinion!

Here’s how Rob Delaney kicked things off

Gary Lineker leant his support with the following soundbite:

And even Piers Morgan weighed in, with his usual balance of tact and sensitivity:

A very experienced and knowledgeable Headteacher, Simon Smith, who has a well-earned following on Twitter (for someone working in education, not hosting Match of the Day) also put his neck on the line and, some might think controversially, agreed with the golden-heeled Crisp King of Leicester…

Fortunately Katharine Birbalsingh, Conservative Party Conference keynote speaker and Founding Headteacher of the Michaela School, was on hand to provide the alternative view on the importance of homework. Her op-ed piece in the Sun gave plenty of reasons why homework should not be banned.

She was informative and firm in her article stating: “Homework is essential for a child’s education because revisiting the day’s learning is what helps to make it stick.”

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How much homework do UK primary school children get?

Sadly, there’s little data comparing how much homework primary school-aged children in the UK and across the globe complete on a weekly basis. A study of teenagers used by The Telegraph shows that American high-schoolers spend an average of 6.1 hours per week compared with 4.9 hours per week of homework each week for UK-based teens.

Up until 2012, the Department of Education recommended an hour of homework a week for primary school Key Stage 1 children (aged 4 to 7) and half an hour a day for primary school Key Stage 2 children (aged 7-11). Many primary schools still use this as a guideline.

Teachers, parents and children in many schools across the land have seen more changes of homework policy than numbers of terms in some school years.

A ‘no-homework’ policy pleases only a few; a grid of creative tasks crowd-sourced from the three teachers bothered to give their input infuriates many (parents, teachers and children alike). For some parents, no matter how much homework is set, it’s never enough; for others, even asking them to fill in their child’s reading record once a week can be a struggle due to a busy working life.

Homework is very different around the world

We’d suggest that Piers Morgan’s argument for homework in comparing the UK’s economic and social progress with China’s in recent years based on total weekly homework hours is somewhat misguided – we can’t put their emergence as the world’s (if not already, soon to be) leading superpower exclusively down to having their young people endure almost triple the number of hours spent completing homework as their Western counterparts.

Nonetheless, there’s certainly a finer balance to strike between the 14 hours a week suffered by Shanghainese school-attendees and none whatsoever. Certainly parents in the UK spend less time each week helping their children than parents in emerging economies such as India, Vietnam and Colombia (Source: Varkey Foundation Report).

Disadvantages of homework at primary school

Delaney, whose son attends a London state primary school, has made it plain that he thinks his kids get given too much homework and he’d rather have them following more active or creative pursuits: drawing or playing football. A father of four sons and a retired professional footballer Gary Linaker was quick to defend this but he also has the resources to send his children to top boarding schools which generally provide very structured homework or ‘prep’ routines.

As parents Rob and Gary are not alone. According to the 2018 Ofsted annual report on Parents Views  more than a third of parents do not think homework in primary school is helpful to their children. They cite the battles and arguments it causes not to mention the specific challenges it presents to families with SEND children many of whom report serious damage to health and self-esteem as a result of too much or inappropriate homework.

It’s a truism among teachers that some types of homework tells you very little about what the child can achieve and much more about a parent’s own approach to the work. How low does your heart sink when your child comes back with a D & T project to create Stonehenge and you realise it’s either an all-nighter with glue, cardboard and crayons for you, or an uncompleted homework project for your child!

Speaking with our teacher hats on, we can tell you that homework is often cited in academic studies looking at academic progress in primary school-aged children as showing minimal to no impact.

Back on Twitter, a fellow teacher was able to weigh-in with that point:

Benefits of homework at primary school

So what are the benefits of homework at primary school? According to the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) (the key research organisations dedicated to breaking the link between family income and educational achievement) the impact of homework at primary is low, but it also doesn’t cost much.

They put it at a “+2 months” impact against a control of doing nothing. To put this into context, 1-to-1 tuition is generally seen as a +5 months impact but it’s usually considered to be expensive.

“There is some evidence that when homework is used as a short and focused intervention it can be effective in improving students’ attainment … overall the general benefits are likely to be modest if homework is more routinely set.”

Key to the benefit you’ll see from homework is that the task is appropriate and of good quality. The quantity of homework a pupil does is not so important. In this matter Katharine Birbalsingh is on the money. Short focused tasks which relate directly to what is being taught, and which are built upon in school, are likely to be more effective than regular daily homework.

In our view it’s about consolidation. So focusing on a few times tables that you find tricky or working through questions similar to what you’ve done in class that day or week often can be beneficial. 2 hours of worksheets on a Saturday when your child could be outside having fun and making friends probably isn’t. If you really want them to be doing maths, then do some outdoor maths with them instead of homework !

At Third Space Learning we believe it’s all about balance. Give the right sort of homework and the right amount at primary school and there will be improvements, but much of it comes down to parental engagement.

One of our favourite ways to practise maths at home without it become too onerous is by using educational games. Here are our favourite fun maths games , some brilliant KS2 maths games , KS1 maths games and KS3 maths games for all maths topics and then a set of 35 times tables games which are ideal for interspersing with your regular times tables practice. And best of all, most of them require no more equipment than a pen and paper or perhaps a pack of cards.

Homework and parents

One of the key benefits cited by EEF is in regard to parental engagement. Time after time, the greatest differentiator between children who make great progress at school – and those, frankly – who don’t is due to the same factor in the same studies: parental engagement .

It is a fair assumption that if a parent is engaged in their child’s learning, they’re probably going to be the same parents who encourage and support their child when they’re completing their homework.

Whereas parents who are disengaged with their child’s school and schooling – for whatever reason (sorry, Piers, it’s rarely due to laziness), are highly unlikely to be aware of what homework gets set each week, let alone to be mucking in with making sure it gets handed in completed and on time.

We also encounter time and again, the issue of parents’ own lack of confidence in maths. A survey by Pearson found that:

• 30 percent of parents “don’t feel confident enough in their own maths skills to help their children with their primary school maths homework”
• 53 per cent insisted they struggled to understand the new maths teaching methods used in modern classrooms. Fortunately that’s what we’re here to address.

Setting the right homework at primary school can be tricky

Although we disagree with Piers, we can see what he may be driving at in terms of setting appropriate homework.

The question quickly becomes what would Piers think of as being ‘interesting’ homework, and if all four of his children would agree upon the same thing being ‘interesting’.

That’s the problem.

One would imagine Piers would find it hard enough finding one task to satisfy the interest of all of his four children – it’s almost impossible to find a task that will engage the interest of 30 or more children in their out of school hours.

Each with different emotional, behavioural and learning needs, then sprinkle in the varying levels of poverty each family suffers (be it financial or in terms of time), and you can see how it isn’t just about being a good or bad teacher – whatever that means – in regards to being able to set Morgan-approved homework tasks.

What does this mean for my child?

Ultimately, the question at the top of mind whenever a parent thinks about homework is a more general one – am I doing the best for my child?

Although the world is changing at a faster pace than ever before in human history, what’s best for children hasn’t changed that much (if at all).

One-to-one support is best, and young people benefit most from adult-child conversations where they acquire new vocabulary and language structures to form and share their thoughts and opinions.

These insights – that one-to-one support is best and that regular, structured adult-child conversations are life-changing within a child’s development – are what inspired us to create Third Space Learning.

A platform where children can engage with a community of specialist tutors in a safe, structured learning environment where they are able to engage in one-to-one conversations that enable them to progress in their learning with confidence.

• How to help your child with their maths homework – A parents guide
• The Best Homework Hacks: 18 Tips And Tricks To Help Busy Parents Get It Done Faster!
• The 20 Most Recommended Teaching Blogs for UK Teachers and School Leaders

DO YOU HAVE STUDENTS WHO NEED MORE SUPPORT IN MATHS?

Every week Third Space Learning’s maths specialist tutors support thousands of students across hundreds of schools with weekly one to one tuition designed to plug gaps and boost progress.

Since 2013 these personalised one to one lessons have helped over 169,000 primary and secondary students become more confident, able mathematicians.

Learn about our experience with schools or request a personalised quote for your school to speak to us about your school’s needs and how we can help.

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Should homework be assigned in elementary school?

• should homework be assigned in elementary school?

*Updated 2021

In 2015, one new york public elementary school  made headlines  when it decided to abolish homework, saying that it didn’t benefit the children. many parents were outraged and threatened to take their children out if the school didn’t resume assigning homework. however, since then, a  growing number of  additional  elementary schools  across the us  are following the trend. who is correct, we examine three reasons why homework should be assigned to elementary school pupils and three reasons why it shouldn’t., three reasons why homework should not be assigned in elementary school.

It increases stress

Way before the coronavirus hit, elementary school kids were already  more stressed-out  than any generation before them. While there are numerous causes for such stress, the burden of homework plays a large part. More than a decade ago a  2007 study by Metlife  already reported that 28% of students in grades 3-6 were “often” or “very often” stressed out by homework and, since then, stress among children has  only grown . More recently, more recently,  65% of parents  said that homework-related stress negatively impacted their families. Homework stress may affect students’ health by causing headaches and stomach problems. Some children experience sleep deprivation by staying up too late to finish their homework. This is harmful to both kids’ health and their learning abilities, as sleep has been shown to help with  memory consolidation . Plus, since parents usually have to remind elementary school students to do their homework, it often turns into a  source  of even more stress, thanks to the arguments that inevitably arise between parent and child.

It prevents them from spending time on other things

Elementary school children don’t have a lot of time between coming home from school and going to sleep. Once they have to do homework, their time is even more restricted. Children today don’t get enough exercise or time outdoors, giving rise to the malady of “ nature deficit disorder,”  which can take its toll on their mental and physical well-being. Homework also may  prevent  children from being able to spend more time bonding with their family, forming friendships, developing hobbies or just deal with boredom. The latter is important, as  unstructured playtime  is vital for child development in the elementary years.

It’s counter-productive

Elementary school students are just beginning their school careers. However, being burdened by  homework , which stops them from doing fun activities, may make them feel  negative emotions  towards schoolwork. This negative attitude can then continue into the middle and high school years when homework becomes a more integral part of the education process. Many elementary students also feel that their homework is just “busy work” or that the teacher “has” to assign it, so they  don’t take it seriously . Even worse is when homework is beyond a child’s ability and becomes work for  the parents . This can lead to resentment in some parents who feel forced to complete their child’s projects – not to mention frustration on the part of the child, who feels he or she can’t do the homework without help.

Three reasons why homework should be assigned in elementary school

It gives kids a chance to process what they’ve learned                                          

Material is absorbed and remembered far better when it’s studied at  spaced-out intervals , as per the Spaced Repetition learning theory. Students can process what they’re studying better when they return to it as homework after a few hours have passed, giving them a chance to learn at intervals. Homework also gives the child a chance to find out if they are confused by the topic so that they can seek assistance. Homework assignments also help the teacher to assess each individual child’s progress.

It teaches kids responsibility

When children reach high school, they’ll be expected to independently work on homework assignments, which are important for their final grades. Doing small amounts of homework from a young age therefore helps  prepare students  to meet their school responsibilities when they get older. It also instills self-discipline and trains them to meet deadlines in the real world when they’ll be expected to put in effort on their own.  During coronavirus lockdowns, sheltering in place and remote learning, homework may have actually, ironically, provided kids with a  reprieve from the boredom of quarantine .

It encourages parental involvement

Homework assignments give parents a window into what their child is studying. Parental involvement has  been shown  to be significant for scholastic success. Therefore, homework assignments serve as a positive and productive way to bring parents and children together. Homework gives them  an opportunity  to be supportive about what their kids are learning. Plus, even if parents aren’t directly involved in a particular homework assignment, sitting next to their child and doing their own “homework,” in the form of paying bills, working or planning the week’s meals, can also serve as a model of support and quality bonding for the child. It also shows that doing homework is an early start to meeting lifelong responsibilities.

The Bottom Line: Perhaps we need to be asking how to make homework in our children’s elementary school more effective , rather than discussing whether or not to eliminate it completely. Do you prefer that your kids spend time on homework after school?

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September 10, 2018, by Rupert Knight

Homework – what is it and is this what we really want it to be?

Homework is an increasingly commonplace activity in the UK’s primary schools and thus in homes across the land. In this post, Rachel Lehner-Mear considers how homework is currently conducted and asks whether there might be a better approach.

Why are we setting homework?

As the new school year gets under way, the practice of setting homework for primary aged children will raise its head again in classrooms and households across the country. As teachers scrabble to locate or create tasks which can be sent home, parents will echo the communal cry “have you got any homework today?”

Although most of the current cohort of primary school teachers and parents will not have had formal homework themselves at primary age (aside from perhaps a school reading book), homework as a substantive approach to developing primary children’s skills and improving their learning has gained momentum since the late 1990s, embedded as it is within a range of debates such as the call for increased parental involvement in education and the performativity and accountability agendas now directed at all schools. Ofsted expectations that ‘outstanding’ schools ‘set challenging homework’ (Ofsted Handbook) and government policy which advocates parental responsibility for even the youngest child’s educational development, all play into creating pressures both for primary schools to set homework and for parents to support its completion.

Indeed, the Millenium Cohort Study , which tracks the experiences of 19,000 children born in the Year 2000, reported in 2010 that 98% of 7 year olds in the cohort were in receipt of regular homework. That’s a lot of children, a lot of homework tasks set, and a lot of additional pupil hours spent focussing on schoolwork outside the school day.

So, as a nation, we must be pretty sure that homework is really important and effective … mustn’t we …?

What is homework?

Despite the tide in favour of setting homework, as a practice it remains ‘woolly’. Because governments have always left the decision about what homework ‘looks like’ down to individual schools (indeed, in 2012 the reins were further loosened when the suggested targets for each year group’s time on homework were abandoned from official policy), often speaking more generally of its importance for encouraging parental involvement and developing broader skills like independence and self-motivation, typical primary school homework tasks can vary enormously in design, expectations, length and frequency.

Some schools set highly structured, school-like tasks such as spellings, worksheets and times tables; some offer a range of pick-and-choose tasks, or set projects on class topics; still others, have ‘farmed out’ homework to online programmes, like maths-based ones which require rehearsal and speedy recall of skills and facts. The purpose of each of these homework ‘forms’ varies widely, as do the resources and time required to complete them (and that’s before we consider the thorny question of whether they actually achieve what was intended). Even the level of expected parental engagement could be wildly different task-to-task. What counts as homework in one school, for one group of children and their parents, can be hugely different to that which is experienced by pupils and parents in neighbouring schools. This can even vary teacher to teacher, especially where Heads have devolved decision making about homework practices from a whole school approach down to individual teachers. Homework is both commonly practised and huge in its variation.

Research by Medwell and Wray (2018) which asked teachers what homework was for and then investigated what they actually set, revealed that across the profession there are discrepancies not only in what teachers think about homework, but in what they believe its function to be, with some professionals even stating homework’s purpose as one thing whilst setting tasks which cannot fulfil the outcome they are seeking. Homework is, then, something of a confused and confusing beast.

What is the confusion around homework?

On the surface homework appears simple and obvious: it is work set by the teacher, which, in the primary years at least, is carried out at home, often with parental support. Yet my own recent research into mothers’ views revealed a wide spectrum of beliefs about homework, to which mothers ascribed many different purposes. Some even claimed its absence from their child’s life would cause serious disadvantage in later years, both educationally and personally.

This confusion about what homework is for, or what it should look like, is underscored by social disquiet in the practice itself. Media articles about the value and appropriateness of homework appear periodically in both the popular and broadsheet papers, with emotive titles like ‘Homework Damages Primary Age Pupils’ (The Telegraph, 2014). Anyone who casually asks a group of parents what they think of homework cannot fail to notice the strength of feeling that arises, both from those in favour of it and those against. Homework is widespread and yet it is simultaneously contentious.

Here, then, is the conundrum: why do ‘we’ (governments, teachers, parents) think these many, varied and perhaps contentious activities will achieve such critical things? Homework is something we feel we should ‘do’ but we haven’t really decided what we want it to ‘be’.

So what does the academic literature tell us?

Since less research has been carried out into primary homework than secondary, the picture we have is somewhat incomplete, though what has been studied, on balance, gives homework a negative report. Respected names in the field tend to agree that primary homework’s impact, on academic outcomes at least, is highly limited. The ‘father’ of US homework research, Harris Cooper, in his book aimed at education professionals, The Battle Over Homework , concluded that primary homework’s effect on learning was ‘trivial’, whilst respected UK educationalist John Hattie told BBC Radio 4 programme The Educators that primary homework’s impact is ‘around zero’. (You can listen to his reasons in this podcast ). Indeed, there is a wide and growing popular literature, some of it written by academics, which argues for the deathknell of primary homework altogether. (See texts by Alfie Kohn, Etta Kralovec and John Buell, and others). Yet still the practice continues, as though its relevance has been undeniably proved. It is as though we have all simply said homework? Q uod erat demonstrandum!

Where next?

As all those young children across the country settle down tonight at the kitchen table, in their bedroom, or kneeling on the living room floor, their books open and their pencils poised, let us as professionals give careful thought towards what we are trying to achieve with these daily, or weekly homework challenges. I acknowledge that, despite its unconvincing pedagogic standing, there are huge pressures on teachers to conform to expectations for setting homework. However, perhaps it is worthwhile taking hold of its current ‘non statutory’ status to make it work for children . In the absence of any data which shows that current primary homework practices have an impact on learning, let us stand aside from the downward pressure to set homework ‘for homework’s sake’ – because this satisfies only government policy, Ofsted expectations and traditional school practices – and instead protect the young minds in our care from learning only that homework is a chore. Let us use homework, instead, for something different, something that is, dare I say it, fun?

As practitioners who wish to develop young minds, and in the absence of a statutory obligation to produce a certain ‘type’ of homework, we can, I feel certain, devise tasks which will inspire children. After all, wouldn’t that answer the question of what homework should be?

If you have tried out innovative homework practices which have inspired the pupils in your class, please share them here!

References:

Cooper, H (2007), The Battle over Homework , Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

Hattie, J (2014), The Educators . Podcast. 20th August 2014. London: BBC

Lehner-Mear, R (under review), Good Mother, Bad Mother? Revealing Mother Perspectives on Primary School Homework

Medwell, J and Wray, D (2018), Primary Homework in England: the beliefs and practices of teachers in primary schools, Education 3-13, DOI:10.1080/03004279.2017.1421999

Ofsted (2018), School Inspection Handbook: Handbook for inspecting schools in England under section 5 of the Education Act 2005, Manchester: Ofsted

The Millennium Cohort Study website can be found here .

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I enjoyed reading this post, as a KS1 teacher and as a parent to Year 6 children. Although in my Year 1 class the children’s ‘homework’ is daily reading at home, I will endeavour to develop more innovative ideas for encouraging other fun learning at home I.e.. Thanks for posting.

This is very really unique helpful information. keep it up. Thank you so much!

This is very really unique helpful information. keep it up. Thank you so much! https://www.gmdrecipes.com/

On Tue, Jul 2, 2019 at 4:49 PM Gmd Ron wrote:

As far as the Primary sector is concerned homework is one of those thing where you are ‘damned if you do and damned if you don’t!’ The most ‘successful’ homework I have seen is indeed fun – for example Year 5 are asked to demonstrate what they had learned from a geography topic on earth processes (volcanoes and earthquakes). Cakes filled with ‘molten’ smarties, dioramas, models and even a lego model of a house that actually shook arrived over the following weeks. Clearly pupils had enjoyed collaborating with parents on a meaningful piece of work at home and the learning was clear to see (although diverse in its nature). Even fun project based, non-compulsory homework task such as these are problematic however – to some time-stretched parents they are anathema and there is no doubt that they advantage children with supportive, well-resourced backgrounds and disadvantage many children who are already disadvantaged.

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Education researcher calls for primary schools to have 'courage' to rethink homework

By Georgia Loney

ABC North Qld

Topic: Primary Education

Estelle Trueman says her daughters Perry and Bronte have benefited from no homework. ( ABC News: Georgia Loney )

When Estelle Trueman was growing up, homework was par for the course.

But now her two daughters are in primary school at Townsville in north Queensland, homework isn't mentioned.

"There's no pressure," Ms Trueman said.

"If we get home and want to prepare a meal together, or spend time together outside before bed, we can, and don't have to hope that we won't get in trouble tomorrow because we haven't done the reader."

John Hattie says homework is of little benefit in primary school. ( Supplied: University of Melbourne )

Across Australia, there's anecdotal evidence a growing number of primary schools have introduced no – or low – homework policies since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to University of Melbourne Emeritus Professor of Education John Hattie.

Professor Hattie said while there was some evidence homework benefited high-school students, there was no need for it in primary schools.

"The evidence is pretty clear that homework in primary school has a very low to zero effect," he said.

In a bid to modernise the education system, Poland last month scrapped homework for students in years one to three and made it optional for students in years four to eight .

Professor Hattie said Poland's move sent an important message, but it would take a "brave" politician to rattle the cage in Australia because of widespread views among parents here.

"There are parents who think homework is critical and essential for their children's future, which is not true," he said.

Homework out, reading in

In Townsville in north Queensland, Belgian Gardens State School has scrapped compulsory homework in favour of reading, practice, and play.

Belgian Gardens State School has an optional homework policy. ( ABC News: Georgia Loney )

"[Worksheet saturation] does not foster parent engagement, neglects the individual needs of students and in some cases leads to drawbacks including disengagement and frustration," principal Ryan Pedley said.

Students were given the option to undertake "practice" or "study habits" at home.

Mr Pedley said parents were highly engaged, through regular information sessions, about what was being taught at school. 

St Benedict's says at-home reading is required. ( ABC News: Georgia Loney )

St Benedict's Catholic School in the city's west is similarly taking a minimalist approach.

"We couldn't really see the benefits for doing homework … but we do require our students to be reading at home each night," assistant principal Aleesha Rockemar said.

"It [homework] can become a nightmare for families to get done."

Aleesha Rockemer says a no-homework approach reduces stress on students and families. ( ABC News: Georgia Loney )

For 10-year-old Keira Warren, it was a pleasant surprise when she transferred to the school this year.

"I was very relieved, I hated having to go home and do more work," she said.

"I didn't like having to either get in trouble because I didn't go to sports, or get in trouble because I didn't do homework."

Keira Warren says having no homework was a surprise when she moved to Townsville. ( ABC News: Georgia Loney )

What are the rules on homework?

In Queensland, there is no one-size-fits all approach; it's up to each school principal to decide their homework rule book.

The Department of Education said it did not collect data on the state's 1,264 public schools' policies.

Instead, it stipulated principals needed to determine what worked for their individual school communities and to ensure any homework was meaningful.

"Schools work collaboratively with students and families to make sure to allow sufficient time for family, recreation and, community and cultural values," a department spokesperson said.

Brisbane Catholic Education, which oversees 146 schools across south-east Queensland, said it did not have a mandated homework policy, but any homework should complement students' learning and wellbeing.

Pros and cons

Professor Hattie has been researching teaching and student learning since the 1970s.

His latest publication in 2023 analysed more than 130,000 studies worldwide on what helps students learn. 

Professor Hattie said the research found homework in primary school – if at all — should be kept short, review what had already been learned at school and not require parental surveillance.

"Don't get [children] to do a project unless you want to see what the parents contribute," he said.

"You've got to seriously question why you need homework at all. I want to give some courage to [primary] schools to drop it, if parents don't get upset.

"There's no need for it in primary school."

Amanda Hoffensetz says homework is an under-researched topic. ( Supplied: James Cook University )

Lecturer in early childhood education Amanda Hoffensetz, from James Cook University, said homework was a difficult topic to research and there were too many variables for conclusive evidence.

"Schools vary greatly in quality, quantity, and the amount of support that children are getting at home," she said.

Scott Wiseman says traditional homework might work best for some families. ( ABC Radio Brisbane: Kenji Sato )

For Scott Wiseman, the chief executive of P&Cs Qld, the peak body representing state school parents and communities, homework had traditionally played an important role in helping parents engage in their child's learning.

"Everyone learns differently and for some kids, doing the sight words or the fact sheets may actually be really important to reinforce their schoolwork," he said.

"It needs to be a consultation process between the school and parents and the community as to how they want education to work in that particular school."

Family impacts

At Townsville's Marian Catholic School, principal Kylie Helmore said changing its homework policy in 2023 had resulted in more student engagement in class and less stress on working families.

Kylie Helmore says the school has drastically changed its approach to homework. ( ABC News: Georgia Loney )

"We're not getting the reports that 'my child is refusing to do anything'," Ms Helmore said.

But reading at home is still required and senior students must complete a passion project each term.

For mum-of-two Estelle Trueman, home life was more manageable without the burden of homework.

"Our kids are only little once," she said.

Estelle Trueman says a flexible approach is needed to homework in primary school. ( ABC News: Georgia Loney )