From TODAY, World
Tuesday September 30, 2008
British education
LONDON — Homework is to be scrapped due to the amount of tension it causes, at a school set to become the biggest in the United Kingdom.
Nottingham East Academy, which will have 3,570 pupils when it opens next year, says it will replace homework with an extra lesson and after-school activities. It claims to be the first school in the country to take such a stand.
Mr Barry Day, who is set to become principal at the new academy, believes the move will help children from poorer or illiterate families and those whose parents do not speak English.
“If you ask most heads what most detentions are for, they will tell you for non-completion of homework,” he said.
“Homework causes an enormous amount of home conflict … It is often set simply because there is an expectation it should be set. It does not help with education at all.“
Earlier this year, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) called for an all-out ban on homework in primary schools, saying that forcing pupils to work at home was counter-productive.
Ms Mary Bousted, general secretary of the ATL, said in March: “I think a lot of homework is a waste of time. It puts a huge amount of stress, particularly on disadvantaged children from disadvantaged homes.”
The new academy, which plans to scrap homework in 2011, will retain some homework for exam revision and coursework, but otherwise it will ask parents to encourage their children to read books in a relaxed manner, and report twice a term on what they have read.
Government guidance suggests between 45 and 90 minutes of homework a night for pupils in the first year of secondary school.
But some leading schools ask 11 and 12-year-olds to complete three or four hours’ homework.
Nottingham East academy will cost about £50 million ($129 million) and educate children from nursery age to 19.
Last week, Tiffin Boys’ School in southwest London decided to scale back homework schedules amid fears that it was leaving pupils “depressed”.
The top-rated grammar school wrote to parents telling them it will limit homework to one 40-minute assignment, along with 20 minutes of independent study.
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH
Showing posts with label schoolbags. Show all posts
Showing posts with label schoolbags. Show all posts
Thursday, October 2, 2008
No homework at this UK school
From TODAY, World
Tuesday September 30, 2008
British education
LONDON — Homework is to be scrapped due to the amount of tension it causes, at a school set to become the biggest in the United Kingdom.
Nottingham East Academy, which will have 3,570 pupils when it opens next year, says it will replace homework with an extra lesson and after-school activities. It claims to be the first school in the country to take such a stand.
Mr Barry Day, who is set to become principal at the new academy, believes the move will help children from poorer or illiterate families and those whose parents do not speak English.
“If you ask most heads what most detentions are for, they will tell you for non-completion of homework,” he said.
“Homework causes an enormous amount of home conflict … It is often set simply because there is an expectation it should be set. It does not help with education at all.“
Earlier this year, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) called for an all-out ban on homework in primary schools, saying that forcing pupils to work at home was counter-productive.
Ms Mary Bousted, general secretary of the ATL, said in March: “I think a lot of homework is a waste of time. It puts a huge amount of stress, particularly on disadvantaged children from disadvantaged homes.”
The new academy, which plans to scrap homework in 2011, will retain some homework for exam revision and coursework, but otherwise it will ask parents to encourage their children to read books in a relaxed manner, and report twice a term on what they have read.
Government guidance suggests between 45 and 90 minutes of homework a night for pupils in the first year of secondary school.
But some leading schools ask 11 and 12-year-olds to complete three or four hours’ homework.
Nottingham East academy will cost about £50 million ($129 million) and educate children from nursery age to 19.
Last week, Tiffin Boys’ School in southwest London decided to scale back homework schedules amid fears that it was leaving pupils “depressed”.
The top-rated grammar school wrote to parents telling them it will limit homework to one 40-minute assignment, along with 20 minutes of independent study.
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH
Tuesday September 30, 2008
British education
LONDON — Homework is to be scrapped due to the amount of tension it causes, at a school set to become the biggest in the United Kingdom.
Nottingham East Academy, which will have 3,570 pupils when it opens next year, says it will replace homework with an extra lesson and after-school activities. It claims to be the first school in the country to take such a stand.
Mr Barry Day, who is set to become principal at the new academy, believes the move will help children from poorer or illiterate families and those whose parents do not speak English.
“If you ask most heads what most detentions are for, they will tell you for non-completion of homework,” he said.
“Homework causes an enormous amount of home conflict … It is often set simply because there is an expectation it should be set. It does not help with education at all.“
Earlier this year, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) called for an all-out ban on homework in primary schools, saying that forcing pupils to work at home was counter-productive.
Ms Mary Bousted, general secretary of the ATL, said in March: “I think a lot of homework is a waste of time. It puts a huge amount of stress, particularly on disadvantaged children from disadvantaged homes.”
The new academy, which plans to scrap homework in 2011, will retain some homework for exam revision and coursework, but otherwise it will ask parents to encourage their children to read books in a relaxed manner, and report twice a term on what they have read.
Government guidance suggests between 45 and 90 minutes of homework a night for pupils in the first year of secondary school.
But some leading schools ask 11 and 12-year-olds to complete three or four hours’ homework.
Nottingham East academy will cost about £50 million ($129 million) and educate children from nursery age to 19.
Last week, Tiffin Boys’ School in southwest London decided to scale back homework schedules amid fears that it was leaving pupils “depressed”.
The top-rated grammar school wrote to parents telling them it will limit homework to one 40-minute assignment, along with 20 minutes of independent study.
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Schoolbags part of holistic health too
From News
TODAY Tuesday July 15, 2008
Ong Dai Lin
dailin@mediacorp.com.sg
NUTRITION and physical exercise — these are the obvious elements of good health promotion in schools. But to create a holistic school environment, smaller factors, such as the weight of schoolbags, count too.
At an inaugural conference on school health hosted by the Health Promotion Board (HPB), a Hong Kong educator shared how her pupils help as “health ambassadors” to weigh their friends’ schoolbags.
“If the bags are too heavy, the ambassadors will teach the students how to pack their bags. For instance, they will teach them to not bring unnecessary books and to bring plastic pencil cases instead of metal ones,” Ms Lam Wai Ling, principal of Tai Po Market Public School, told 285 representatives from 225 schools here.
Holistic health is one of the goals of an inter-ministry collaboration formed this year — the Healthy Youth Committee — tasked to establish a “common vision” for healthy lifestyle among students, said Senior Parliamentary Secretary (Education) Masagos Zulkifli at the one-day conference.
And schools are also being recognised for programmes that focus more on holistic health through a joint awards programme by HPB and the Education Ministry.
One of the gold award winners this year, Pasir Ris Primary School, has installed lockers, for example, to address the issue of heavy schoolbags. “Having a lighter school bag will definitely help the well-being of students. Sometimes students tend to bring everything and their bags can be too heavy for them,” said PE teacher Shahizan Ahmad.
For Ang Mo Kio Secondary principal Tan Chee Siong, cyber wellness is one of his top concerns.
“Students are spending so much time online in front of the computer and are not leading a physically active lifestyle. They are also exposing themselves to potential cyber bullies and predators,” said Mr Tan, whose school won the platinum award this year.
According to Professor Lawrence St Leger, the keynote speaker yesterday, a conducive school environment is more important than lessons about good health.
“You don’t get any change if you teach health. But you get significant changes when you promote a healthy school environment when you combine action with the curriculum to get students involved,” said Prof St Leger, who has helped to implement health programmes in other countries.
HPB said that it would work with the don from Deakin University in Australia to further develop health programmes and guidelines for schools to follow.
TODAY Tuesday July 15, 2008
Ong Dai Lin
dailin@mediacorp.com.sg
NUTRITION and physical exercise — these are the obvious elements of good health promotion in schools. But to create a holistic school environment, smaller factors, such as the weight of schoolbags, count too.
At an inaugural conference on school health hosted by the Health Promotion Board (HPB), a Hong Kong educator shared how her pupils help as “health ambassadors” to weigh their friends’ schoolbags.
“If the bags are too heavy, the ambassadors will teach the students how to pack their bags. For instance, they will teach them to not bring unnecessary books and to bring plastic pencil cases instead of metal ones,” Ms Lam Wai Ling, principal of Tai Po Market Public School, told 285 representatives from 225 schools here.
Holistic health is one of the goals of an inter-ministry collaboration formed this year — the Healthy Youth Committee — tasked to establish a “common vision” for healthy lifestyle among students, said Senior Parliamentary Secretary (Education) Masagos Zulkifli at the one-day conference.
And schools are also being recognised for programmes that focus more on holistic health through a joint awards programme by HPB and the Education Ministry.
One of the gold award winners this year, Pasir Ris Primary School, has installed lockers, for example, to address the issue of heavy schoolbags. “Having a lighter school bag will definitely help the well-being of students. Sometimes students tend to bring everything and their bags can be too heavy for them,” said PE teacher Shahizan Ahmad.
For Ang Mo Kio Secondary principal Tan Chee Siong, cyber wellness is one of his top concerns.
“Students are spending so much time online in front of the computer and are not leading a physically active lifestyle. They are also exposing themselves to potential cyber bullies and predators,” said Mr Tan, whose school won the platinum award this year.
According to Professor Lawrence St Leger, the keynote speaker yesterday, a conducive school environment is more important than lessons about good health.
“You don’t get any change if you teach health. But you get significant changes when you promote a healthy school environment when you combine action with the curriculum to get students involved,” said Prof St Leger, who has helped to implement health programmes in other countries.
HPB said that it would work with the don from Deakin University in Australia to further develop health programmes and guidelines for schools to follow.
Schoolbags part of holistic health too
From News
TODAY Tuesday July 15, 2008
Ong Dai Lin
dailin@mediacorp.com.sg
NUTRITION and physical exercise — these are the obvious elements of good health promotion in schools. But to create a holistic school environment, smaller factors, such as the weight of schoolbags, count too.
At an inaugural conference on school health hosted by the Health Promotion Board (HPB), a Hong Kong educator shared how her pupils help as “health ambassadors” to weigh their friends’ schoolbags.
“If the bags are too heavy, the ambassadors will teach the students how to pack their bags. For instance, they will teach them to not bring unnecessary books and to bring plastic pencil cases instead of metal ones,” Ms Lam Wai Ling, principal of Tai Po Market Public School, told 285 representatives from 225 schools here.
Holistic health is one of the goals of an inter-ministry collaboration formed this year — the Healthy Youth Committee — tasked to establish a “common vision” for healthy lifestyle among students, said Senior Parliamentary Secretary (Education) Masagos Zulkifli at the one-day conference.
And schools are also being recognised for programmes that focus more on holistic health through a joint awards programme by HPB and the Education Ministry.
One of the gold award winners this year, Pasir Ris Primary School, has installed lockers, for example, to address the issue of heavy schoolbags. “Having a lighter school bag will definitely help the well-being of students. Sometimes students tend to bring everything and their bags can be too heavy for them,” said PE teacher Shahizan Ahmad.
For Ang Mo Kio Secondary principal Tan Chee Siong, cyber wellness is one of his top concerns.
“Students are spending so much time online in front of the computer and are not leading a physically active lifestyle. They are also exposing themselves to potential cyber bullies and predators,” said Mr Tan, whose school won the platinum award this year.
According to Professor Lawrence St Leger, the keynote speaker yesterday, a conducive school environment is more important than lessons about good health.
“You don’t get any change if you teach health. But you get significant changes when you promote a healthy school environment when you combine action with the curriculum to get students involved,” said Prof St Leger, who has helped to implement health programmes in other countries.
HPB said that it would work with the don from Deakin University in Australia to further develop health programmes and guidelines for schools to follow.
TODAY Tuesday July 15, 2008
Ong Dai Lin
dailin@mediacorp.com.sg
NUTRITION and physical exercise — these are the obvious elements of good health promotion in schools. But to create a holistic school environment, smaller factors, such as the weight of schoolbags, count too.
At an inaugural conference on school health hosted by the Health Promotion Board (HPB), a Hong Kong educator shared how her pupils help as “health ambassadors” to weigh their friends’ schoolbags.
“If the bags are too heavy, the ambassadors will teach the students how to pack their bags. For instance, they will teach them to not bring unnecessary books and to bring plastic pencil cases instead of metal ones,” Ms Lam Wai Ling, principal of Tai Po Market Public School, told 285 representatives from 225 schools here.
Holistic health is one of the goals of an inter-ministry collaboration formed this year — the Healthy Youth Committee — tasked to establish a “common vision” for healthy lifestyle among students, said Senior Parliamentary Secretary (Education) Masagos Zulkifli at the one-day conference.
And schools are also being recognised for programmes that focus more on holistic health through a joint awards programme by HPB and the Education Ministry.
One of the gold award winners this year, Pasir Ris Primary School, has installed lockers, for example, to address the issue of heavy schoolbags. “Having a lighter school bag will definitely help the well-being of students. Sometimes students tend to bring everything and their bags can be too heavy for them,” said PE teacher Shahizan Ahmad.
For Ang Mo Kio Secondary principal Tan Chee Siong, cyber wellness is one of his top concerns.
“Students are spending so much time online in front of the computer and are not leading a physically active lifestyle. They are also exposing themselves to potential cyber bullies and predators,” said Mr Tan, whose school won the platinum award this year.
According to Professor Lawrence St Leger, the keynote speaker yesterday, a conducive school environment is more important than lessons about good health.
“You don’t get any change if you teach health. But you get significant changes when you promote a healthy school environment when you combine action with the curriculum to get students involved,” said Prof St Leger, who has helped to implement health programmes in other countries.
HPB said that it would work with the don from Deakin University in Australia to further develop health programmes and guidelines for schools to follow.
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