PRIMARY school pupils should be given less homework, the Scottish Greens have pledged, in a bold call that they say will encourage teachers to focus on classroom learning.
The party's Holyrood manifesto launch this week will include the suggestion in order to reduce demands on infants outside of school so they can spend more time socialising as lockdown eases.
The party cites research by education experts at Stirling University which suggests homework can worsen inequality due to differing home environments.
Ross Greer, the Greens' education spokesperson, said: "Too often we see homework issued because that’s the way it's always been, so that's the way we expect it to be today. In reality, research has found that this often isn’t helping children’s learning and can in fact be deeply unhelpful.
"After a year full of remote working from home, the last thing children and families need once schools reopen is to bring even more work home. We know from research that this creates a negative association with school and learning from a young age."
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He added: “Moving on from a year of restrictions on meeting friends and playing together, we need to ensure that children are free to go outdoors and socialise, rather than stuck inside completing homework which isn’t actually helping them.
"This is no criticism of overworked teachers, who are regularly pressured to issue homework which only creates an additional workload burden for them. Ending homework in primary schools benefits everyone, pupil, family and teacher."
The Scottish Greens have previously called for the age when children start primary school to be raised to seven.
Infants would instead attend a “creative play” Nordic-style kindergarten rather than formal classes.
The party has pointed to Finland, where education and child wellbeing outcomes are far higher than in Scotland, which they said has in part been credited to their kindergarten system and primary school starting age of seven.
Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie said the plan could have a “vital role” in reducing the attainment gap.
He said: “The poverty-related attainment gap in Scotland has persisted, and the clearest way to tackle this is by tackling poverty itself. That’s why the Scottish Greens have worked to deliver pandemic relief payments and ensured all primary pupils will get free school meals.
“The SNP were wrong to introduce standardised testing for primary ones, when international studies show younger children learn through play.
"The Scottish Greens believe Scotland should ditch the British model of starting school at four or five and instead look to our Scandinavian cousins.”
He added: “Finland is renowned for its education system, and it is recognised that kindergarten leads to better outcomes later in a child’s school career.”
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