Homework has the power to elevate learning. This is the first line of my book, The Homework Conundrum, and I stand by it. But when it comes to primary-aged pupils, we need to rethink what we mean by “homework” and what we hope to achieve from it.
The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF, 2021) suggests that homework at primary has a limited impact on progress, with an average of three months’ additional progress compared to five months at secondary level. That alone is enough to make us pause and consider: what should homework look like in primary schools? The short answer: homework should be about practising key skills without being overly burdensome. It should foster a love of learning rather than creating stress and negativity, and it should encourage learning conversations at home, not just tick-box exercises completed under duress.
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