How Much Homework Should Your Child Be Getting?

Originally written by Jack Claridge, updated by the editorial team on 4th April 2026

More often than not our children tell us they have too much homework but it is important to take into account what exactly the government and the Department for Education have set down as the appropriate amount of homework to be done by children at home.

It is also worth noting at this juncture plans which are afoot to reduce the amount of homework that children have to do and these plans are nearing finalisation.

Why Does My Child Need to do Homework?

Homework is set for a number of reasons; the main reason being that it encourages children to learn on their own and also to improve their own independent learning skills. In other words homework is set to encourage children to work on their own and not simply rely on a teacher setting them work within a classroom environment.

In addition to this homework is designed to help back up what is learned in the classroom and to show that the child in question is capable of understanding – and is understanding – what is being taught to them within a classroom environment.

How Much Homework Should My Child Be Bringing Home?

Depending on the age of your child will depend on how much homework he or she is set during the course of a school week. Of course it is important to remember that homework is not only a means of allowing your child’s teachers to see how they are doing; it is also designed so that you – the parent – can also see how they are progressing.

As we have already mentioned the amount of time spent during the course of a week producing homework depends entirely on the age of your child.

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Primary School Children

If your child is attending a primary school they will be expected to produce between thirty minutes to two and a half hours worth of homework in the school week. This breaks down as the following:

Year 1 & 2 : 60 minutes per week
Year 3 & 4 : 90 minutes per week
Year 5 & 6 : 30 minutes per day

Your situation may be slightly different. ask a question below ↓ and our editorial team will reply with our advice.

Secondary School Children

By the time your child has reached secondary school education he or she will be expected to produce between one to two and a half hours of homework per day. This may sound a lot but you should also take into consideration that during their time at secondary school they will also be expected to produce coursework and revise for examinations.

The times break down as follows:

Year 7 & 8 : 30 to 90 minutes per day
Year 9 : 60 to 120 minutes per day
Year 10 : 90 to 250 minutes per day

This may perhaps sound like a lot as we have already mentioned but you should take into consideration that coursework for GCSE examinations also play a large part in the amount of time spent on homework whilst in secondary school education.

Motivating My Child When It Comes to Homework

As many parents know trying to keep a child interested in something like homework especially when there are such things as video games, television shows and the Internet to distract them can be difficult. It is important to remember that your child has a limited attention span especially when the subject might not be something that particularly grabs their attention.

With this in mind it is reasonable to allow them to take breaks if they are struggling and also to spend time alongside them trying to offer guidance and support where possible.

If you are in any doubt as to the amount of homework your child has then you should contact their form teacher or head teacher and ask as to how much homework is being allocated during the course of a week; this is not an infringement on their ability to learn but simply a helping hand at a time in their life when it is needed most.

The Next Step

Now that you have read through the advice above, you might want to put it into practice. Our Homework Timetable Builder lets you turn your subjects, deadlines and free time into a clear, realistic homework and revision timetable so nothing gets left to the last minute. Try it now →

44 questions

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Dm2234466 24/09/2019 at 8:08 pm

My daughter has just started year 7. She can get 2-4 pieces of home work per day each from 30-45 mins then at least 20 mins reading a day. To make it worse it's almost all on line and get help they have to go on you tube. I support home work. However it should not all be on line and no way should it be linked to you tube. So much for parents restricting screen time. If you have a child that struggles then forget family time.

lightend 02/07/2019 at 9:39 pm

My 8 year old (year 3) daughter gets almost no homework. We are ,and always have, pushed her to succeed, life isnt easy, making it easy is setting them up for a harder crash later. My child does 5 days normal school, Sunday at a chinese school, every night we give her 3 hours of homework, (english, verbal and non verbal reasoning, maths, chinese) half an hour of piano practice, some jujitsu lessons if there is time and if she behaves well, and on fridays an additional hour with a piano teacher. My wife is chinese and so we push our child. There is a reason the chinese have a higher IQ than their western counterparts.

Bevelk 03/06/2019 at 5:24 pm

My daughter moved to secondary school in Wales in January 2019. Since then she has had one or two pieces of homework a week.
She had a term in secondary school in England and had about at least 5 pieces of homework a week.
Why is there such a big difference between English and the welsh system.
My son has no homework at his primary school in Wales. In England he had English and maths homework once a week.
A concerned parent

Kevin 11/10/2018 at 7:05 am

Are these comments a Joke!

My son gets very little home work in year 10 and what he does get he completes at school in about 15 mins at lunch time now and again.

He has his own study plan and works through key subject areas to advance his knowledge. I as his parent discuss challenging areas and focus on areas of complexity so he is ahead of the game. Exams aren’t until year 11 so there is no exam pressure, zero stress and success is measured by feeling at ease and learning how to study and enjoy understanding the concepts.
In year 11 I’m aiming to reduce study time around exam time as the learning has happened over a 2 year period and feeling stressed can cause a mind blank under exam conditions. This is a dangerous strategy to take people.

If you learn foundation, knowledge sticks.

Learn early and chill

Rache Editor 26/03/2018 at 10:57 am

@Worried parent - don't schools normally stop revision when children have exams coming up? My child does 2-3 hours per night - it's standard.

Worried parent 24/03/2018 at 9:52 pm

My girl is in year 11 she is doing 3-4 hours a night then doing revision after. Today is a weekend we had to force her to stop doing homework . She had approx 14 hours today doing it. And she says probably be at it for about 8-9 hours tomorrow. Both me and my wife think this is to much for a 15 year old. She has no time for anything other than this not even thinking about the stress she is under for exams as well

Maia Editor 19/02/2018 at 2:35 pm

@Myajade121 - I have to get up early to do mine. I get up 7am work until 8 oclock then get ready for school and leave at 8.30. It is the only way I can get it finished :(

Myajade121 17/02/2018 at 10:11 am

I'm in secondary school in year 7 and I have 2 homework per day so that's ten a week. I struggle to actually socialize with all my friends or have family time. I also struggle to have family time as well so while they are properly outside getting fresh air or jumping on the trampoline I'm stuck inside with tons of homework to do. I really want to make a schedule for my homework so I have more time to communicate, What should I do?

ElleR Editor 13/02/2018 at 2:35 pm

@Sk8er - it's the extra-curricular activities that are the tough part. My son is in a school play and the rehearsals take up so much time. More if you have the lead part, as you (congrats). Once the play is over, you should go back to normal. You just have to prioritise and put your lessons first. Extra-curricular activities can only be done if you feel you can take them on. I know it may seem difficult, but it is also good training to help you to learn to prioritise your workload and manage several things at once. Best of luck.

Sk8er 12/02/2018 at 4:31 pm

I'm in year 7 and, though my homework isn't nearly as tough as some of the other comments, I still struggle. I do activities every evening and got the lead part in a school play. I can only see my two best friends at lunchtime so that's what I do then. Though despite my timetable being practically full (not as bad as others but still, I'm struggling)
I still have to do homework. I've had to stop three out of school clubs and am unable to join any after school ones. Yet my teachers still (metaphorically) bite my head off if I tell them I'm struggling. I've only just joined secondary school and they are already stressing me out. I'm also practically falling asleep in class because of it all, I'm awful in mornings when i am tired so am often late to school. I've so far avoided detentions but I can see my teachers getting frustrated.

Gmax 17/01/2018 at 8:03 pm

I am in year 9 and regularly do 4 1/2 hours of homework PER NIGHT. Calculating the total homework that I do shows that I generally do 16 hours of work outside school a week. This is more than DOUBLE the government recommended level of homework.

Half of the homework seems pointless, time consuming, and frustrating such as finishing work that was too long to be done in an hour. Most of these consist of essays that force you to regurgitate information and never actually learn anything.

HanNM Editor 14/12/2017 at 11:32 am

@Sky - wait until you get to year 10, you won't be going to bed LOL x

Sky 13/12/2017 at 6:44 am

I get 10 pieces a week. If it's week A, this includes two pieces of art homework with a minimum of 2 hours. However, lately teachers have been lengthening the homework. Throughout exams, they only dropped to 8 a week. They expect us to do clubs at the same time as well! (optional, but frowned upon if you don't) I get up at 5am to do homework. I'm Year 9, is this normal or crazy?

Disco 23/11/2017 at 7:56 am

I note that the advice given to students mainly revolves around seeking assistance to plan or structure their day.

If they receive 4 hours plus of homework per day, then their day will consist of: School
Dinner
Homework
Shower (no time for a bath)
Bed

I really don't see how that can be restructured, other than having dinner during or after homework.

4 hours of homework per day is completely unacceptable and the likely cause is substandard teaching. 1.5 hours maximum is more than enough.

I also find it surprising that Admin are advising kids to give up extra-curricular activities, in order to do excessive amounts of homework. Would they be happy working from 9am - 10pm, 5 days a week, with no doubt more to do at the weekend?

There has to be a balance, with time for kids to relax and unwind, otherwise they will become extremely stressed. They are still children and that should not be forgotten.

jkb 15/10/2017 at 5:41 pm

I end up with at least three hours of homework per night and 6 hours per day at the weekend. I am in Year 9. Ridiculous in my opinion

Clairepen 01/10/2017 at 7:33 pm

My son is severely dyslexic. He's in year 8. Each night we do an hour a night and at least four hours every Sunday. Note the "we" Almost all the homework he is given is written so I have to scribe it for him. This is not independent learning and it is hell for both of us. I really do not see the point of homework. Either lengthen the school day so they do the extra work there - or do away with homework,

Edie Editor 28/09/2017 at 12:18 pm

@Skrapz - poor you. That's a long day :( Can you do some in your lunchtime?

Skrapz 27/09/2017 at 8:28 pm

I wake up at 6.30 am get home at 6.00pm and I have 5 pieces of homework a night the only spare time I have is at the weekend. :(

Skrapz 27/09/2017 at 8:25 pm

Im in year 9 i wake up at 6.30 am go home at 6.00pm and have 5 pieces of homework a night.

georgedaboss123 05/08/2017 at 11:08 am

I am going to be in year 9 and you get 80 mins of homework on Monday ( 2 pieces of 40 mins).On Tuesday you get 40 mins homework (1 piece) and Wednesday you get 40 mins (1 piece). I get 3 hours on Thursday ( 4 pieces of 45 mins) but it is due in on monday so I get the weekend as well as Thursday night.This is a total of 400 minis/6.6 hours a week.

we get 50 to 60 mins to do homwork at the end of the school day because we finish school at 5.00 o'clock.

we get 70% of this amount taken away 2 weeks before the christmas and end of year exams because we are expected to do 45 mins of revison and night ( 120 mins of revision on the weekend).
The anount of homwork was about 2 hours less a week last year and 20% less revison.
Year 10 and will have 1 hour more homwork and 100 mins of revision every week and 200 mins a week before exam week.I don't know about year 11 but I think it's manly revision.

eHomework Editor 05/05/2017 at 1:47 pm

Do you have someone you can sit down with an plan your day? You might want to approach your parents and tell them you need their help as your work schedule is currently counter-productive. If you speak to them on an adult level and ask them how they suggest you make the best of the situation, they may just realise you are seriously under pressure. If they cannot help, a teacher/school mentor/homework planner will be able to try to help you with your timetable. If you are struggling, you may have to drop some more extra-curricular activities until you have your subject and homework workload under control. Yes, other students may be coping, but not everyone is the same. Your teachers should realise this and take time to help.

Molly23 04/05/2017 at 7:37 pm

I am in year 8 at the moment and I do 15 subjects at school. (not by choice)
I have to wake up at 5:30 every school morning to do homework, then I go to school and do my extra curricular activities, get home at 5:30 (or later if there is a fixture like there quite often is then it is 6:30 - 7) start hwk at 8 and get yelled at by my parents because I am not asleep by 11pm. I repeat this everyday, and at the weekends I don't have any "free time" because I'm still doing homework. Yet, I still cant hand my homework in on time. I have tried to explain this to my teachers, but they say that everyone else is able to do it,so so should I. I have recently have to stop 3 clubs that I do (2 week time, 1 weekend) because I am getting so stressed. I would really really appreciate some help here.

Leia 04/03/2017 at 1:58 pm

I am only 12 and yet I am doing up to 4 hours of homework a day. I have now been diagnosed with severe anxiety due to the pressure of exams and homework and I'm not even a teenager yet! I get at LEAST 10 pieces of homework a week and that includes tons of essays. I sometimes wish I could give up on school.

JSB Editor 27/02/2017 at 12:01 pm

@homeworkisruiningmyl - Have a word with one of your teachers and they will be able to help you construct some sort of a timetable. But good luck - you will go on to do great things I'm sure as you are obviously very bright. Jill.

homeworkisruiningmyl 26/02/2017 at 2:47 pm

I'm currently in year 9 at a grammar school, one of the best in the country. I've noticed that the step up from year 8 to year 9 was huge in terms of homework, and we currently get approx. 17 pieces a week, ranging from essays and projects to answering questions and completing work at school. I'm fed up of this, as I also love sports and drama. I am now starting to have to sacrifice my extra curricular activities just to complete my homework on time. As soon as I get home from school, I work practically non stop until about 10pm. Even this isn't enough- I then have to wake up at around 6am the next morning to finish homework due in on that day. It is ridiculous. And even with all this, I still find my self working over the whole weekend. I never have time to go out and do things I want to do on my 'free day off'. I wish I only got 60 mins a day but the reality is I do about 4 hours, if not more. Homework is making me so stressed and I'm worried because my GCSE courses haven't even started yet. I don't know what to do :(

Goldi 08/01/2017 at 4:56 pm

I'm really worried as my year 10 son never has homework ever. And not just year 10 the last 2 years has been very slack. The only homework I've ever seen him do is maths and that is like 20min tops. I know all coursework has stopped now for GCSEs and I'm worried teachers now don't know what to send home for homework as they aren't sure what or where they are with this new exams. Any help would be fab.

Georgia 07/01/2017 at 11:30 pm

I'm in year 8 and I get so much homework! Yesterday was Friday, and I was doing my homework from 5 PM to 1 AM, just so that I couldn't enjoy my weekend! It's too much... I never get to do any hobbies or things that I really enjoy.

Rebel79 11/11/2016 at 1:21 pm

Don't have to do any homework it's not a legal requirement

Stork 05/11/2016 at 7:38 pm

I go to school 6 days a week and I'm in year 10, I get home Saturday at 5pm and I have a tutor who gives me hwk then I do that hwk till about 10 or 11, then on Sunday on my 'day off' I wake up at 8 and do maths till my tutor comes and then I have him form 10-1pm and then I do that work and then I usually get to enjoy from 4pm to 10pm as my 'day off work'

Sanddy 17/10/2016 at 6:23 pm

I'm in year 8 and I get 90 pieces of homework in a term and I only go to school for 50 days in that term. this adds up to being at least 10 pieces of homework per week and how some homework's may be easier than others we get essays and long questions to answer so I spend most of my nights and when I come back from school doing homework.

Bella 03/10/2016 at 10:08 pm

The 10 minute rule theory is grade level x 10 = how many minutes. Everyone has sacrificed everything but I love all the training that I do. I don't even mind getting up early to do gymnastics. It's just the worry that if I continue with these clubs I will get tired every night. Also I do a lot of music I am doing grade 8 on singing, cello, guitar, flute and piano so I have to make time for that as I want a career in music. Wish I could stop school- too much homework

Bella 02/10/2016 at 10:40 pm

I am in Y9 and get around 2hrs a night. My average day would be
Get home 4, eat snack, h/w
6-7 singing and cello/ musical theatre
7 dinner
7:20 sports activities
8:30 chores
9:00 swim team
9:45 go home go to bed
6:20 get up
7:00 gymnastics
8:00 school

Slightly worrying as next year homework will increase to at least 3 hours

homeworkargh 24/05/2016 at 12:44 pm

im only in year 8 and do 3-4 hrs of hw per night... around 2 for school and then more for tutor and my language school homework as well as practicing music

Emily 24/04/2016 at 9:32 am

I'm in year 10 and we get the amount of homework per week that we got in a half term in year 9. That is not including all the extra revision we have to do on top and staying in after school for coursework. I want to do music at uni but I started at 10 whereas most kids started music much younger so my music is as important as my GCSEs. I also need to self teach piano and music theory ready for uni. Because of the music, I don't do the revision I should be doing - it is so hard to find a balance. Everyone at school has now accepted their teenage years are going to spent doing work all the time.

eHomework Editor 23/02/2016 at 12:03 pm

Many thanks for your comments. Many parents find homework as stressful as their children do. On the plus-side, and as specified in the article, homework is set to encourage children to work on their own and not simply rely on a teacher setting them work within a classroom environment, meaning there is a justifiable reason behind it.

shazzababbs 22/02/2016 at 4:39 pm

I think homework is unfair, my son is 12 years old and finds homework very stressful the last thing a child should have to do after a full day at school is another couple of hours homework, we like to spend time as a family and my son helps me around the house with cooking etc I think that these life skills are far more important and he actually enjoys this rather than sitting writing, I think this should be left within the school and out of school hours should be for family times and relaxation not stress and cramming a childs brain with tonnes of information, afterall children are children for a short time within their lives and it should be made the most of!!

ChemChaos 27/10/2015 at 6:59 am

You do realise that 250 minutes (Year 10) is over 4 hours - per night???
I believe it should be 2.5 hours.

brownies 11/09/2014 at 5:34 pm

I've just started year 8 and i go to a grammar school. I thought i was getting loads of homework in year 7 but now i get 5 homeworks a day one for each period. Sometimes two from the same subject! I know it's just the beginning of the year but i feel its going to get worse. I really don't think 25 pieces of homework is good.

Im the Truth 04/04/2014 at 7:39 am

Well I go to one of the so called fansy schools of SA and I get like 6 Subjects worth of homework a night so to all you people that think 15 is bad try doing mine I get like 30 different pieces a week oka so shut up and deal with it and I have a socialble life to btw so If i can do it everyone can got it

Fozzy 24/10/2013 at 5:17 pm

im in year 10 and get 4 pieces a day, 3 if I'm LUCKY! Today I got 5 which is seriously taking the piss! I am not happy at all! My whole year have spoken to our form tutor many times and still nothing has been done! I end up doing a lot at the weekend because it takes me so long during the week, and my friend does Irish dancing 3 times a week, and she has to get up at 4:30 in the morning to do homework as well

Alex 16/09/2012 at 8:16 am

My stepdaughter has just started Year 11. She visits us once a week and when she does I ask if she has any homework. She says she doesn't get any this year. "Obviously". Can this be right?

bobzilla 15/09/2012 at 5:50 pm

i get way too much homework for being in year 9. i got 15 pieces last week!!

Silly mermaid 12/09/2012 at 12:15 am

I really liked this page because It said a lot of good info and I learnt heaps thank you for making this awesome page

random 09/04/2011 at 10:06 am

I disagree about the Year 10 homework; I think that 2 hours a night is more than enough - perhaps raising to your suggestion of 4 hours in the 2 weeks before the exam.

I am in Year 10, and at the minute receive around 10 minutes of homework a night; and then two essays a week on top of that. Over the three weeks of half term, I have got around fifteen hours of homework, I would say. That works out at around 5 hours a week - still just an hour every night.

Really, it depends on your school I suppose.

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