The Guardian, February 28, 2017: (Opinion) Dear Justine Greening, homework widens the gap between rich and poor children
“I’ve been a continuous school parent for nearly 40 years – my oldest child is over 40 and my youngest is 12 with several in between. In that time, the amount and nature of homework have changed enormously: there’s a lot more, and most of it is tied into the testing and exam system. Home has become even more of a classroom than it ever was. How children learn – and how we as parents teach them – has become a necessary part of a child’s education. Teachers tell us how important homework is. We can see from how difficult so much of it is that these home lessons – and that’s what they are – are not just a backup to school. They are a part of the curriculum, an essential step to passing all the tests and exams the system throws at our children.”