Is There a Correct Amount of Homework to Give to Students?

Secondary school children, who will have anywhere from 5 to 7 lessons during the day, may well end up with anything up to an additional 2 hours worth of homework to do at the end of the day, a situation which has consistently been a cause for concern for parents.

Recently a trend has been occurring where the amount of homework students are expected to complete has increased, a trend witnessed in both Primary and Secondary schools. For all students this can be a problem, but it is particularly so for primary school students, who shouldn’t be expected to have to put in hours worth of work on top of the requirements for them to develop and maintain their reading and writing skills.

When you look at the hours of work students have to put into a day at school, the standard throughout the western world is 6-7 hours. An additional 2 hours worth of homework can push their workload to the same level as a full time job, which seems unfair for children.