Tigerchild HOMEWORK

Parents are ignoring health warnings by allowing young children to use mobile phones, according to a leading expert. In his latest report, Sir William Stewart, head of the National Radiological Protection Board, says there is still no proof that mobiles are harmful, but nonetheless he recommends a precautionary approach because of the difficulties of assessing the impact of such a rapidly evolving technology. He points out that childrens' skulls are not fully thickened and their nervous systems not properly developed - any radiation from a phone will penetrate further into their brains. Sir William also calls for a review of the planning process for base stations and argues that mobile phone masts should not be sited near schools, saying he is now more concerned about possible health hazards than he was five years ago. According to the latest figures, one in four children between the ages of seven and ten, now owns a mobile phone.

Parents can help reduce the risks by chosing phones with a low emission rate or SAR - go to the Mobile Manufacturers Forum website for information on individual phones.

Do you think children under 8 should be allowed to use mobile phones? Tell us what you think by voting in our Tigerpoll.

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GOVERNMENT POLICY

The 1996/97 OFSTED Annual Report stated that homework is important at all stages in a child’s education. There is evidence that the most academically successful pupils tend to have been set more homework by their school than those pupils who are under performing.

The Government feels that schools should set a regular homework programme that does not get in the way of activities such as sport, music and other club pursuits. A detailed report covering the guidelines, such as what should be expected of both schools and parents and what sort of homework should be set for different ages, Homework: Guidelines for Primary and Secondary Schools, can be found at the Department for Education and Skills site. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to read the guidelines. You can download that for free here.

The Government’s National Framework for Study Support is designed to increase young people’s self-esteem and improve their ability to learn - ‘Above all it aims to raise achievement’. It looks at homework clubs and helps with key skills as well as creative and outdoor ventures, provided not only by LEAs and schools, but also from a broader area. Professor MacBeath, a member of the DfES Standards Task Force, put the aim of such a framework succinctly:

‘Good schools and good teaching are crucial to pupils’ learning…yet effective teaching is not enough. Success for young people also relies on the homework and self-directed learning they do out of school hours, and classroom learning flourishes when good teaching and self-directed learning meet.’

The DfES’s Parent site contains a section on homework and a useful synopsis of study support - how it can help your child and how you can help as well.

The home-school agreement is a document set out by the government outlining the aims and values of your child's school. The amount of homework recommended by the government for different age groups can be found at this link.

HELPING WITH HOMEWORK

There are a number of potential benefits to your child and you (such as your understanding of the school curriculum) in taking an active interest and supporting your child with their homework. Children who have the support of their parents and families with their homework are likely to achieve more academically at examinations than those who have been deprived such help.

Typical concerns that parents have about homework revolve around whether your child is set too much or too little work, whether it is too hard or too easy and so forth. The following links from Topmarks offer advice for parents about the issues surrounding homework.

HOMEWORK RESOURCES

The educational resources on the Internet are phenomenal. We have listed the sites we feel are best on homework and revision.

Homework Elephant is the largest UK site dedicated to homework and is part of the National Grid for Learning. It has over 5000 resources to assist children with their homework problems. You can search by subject and contact online experts for answers to specific subject questions, whilst their hints and tips service suggests techniques that might help your child to improve their homework and/or cope with any homework worries.

The DfES has created a series of leaflets specifically designed to help you support your child with schoolwork. It is part of the ‘Parents as Partners’ initiative in which parents and teachers are encouraged to join forces to improve the quality of education for children. These are in leaflet form and you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to access and download them. You can download it for free here.

Homework High is a popular homework support site from Channel 4 for children from the ages of 5 to 16. It allows children to ask questions of experts in the various core subjects and provides an online reference library with over 35,000 questions and answers.

The BBC Education site has excellent resources for all ages. Though not specifically designed as a homework site, it does provide a great online education resource to use with your child at home. The following links are a useful starting point for your child whatever his/her stage of education:

The BBC Web guide site also provides information on each individual academic subject in its Educational Resources section.

Further resources can be found in our home education section.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

GOVERNMENT POLICY

HELPING WITH HOMEWORK

HOMEWORK RESOURCES