This Morning sparked a HUGE debate among viewers on Thursday after asking if school homework during the holidays should be banned.
Amanda Holden and Ben Shephard were joined on the sofa by two women on different sides of the fence when it came to how much work children should be expected to do during half-term.
Claire Muldoon felt that kids should spend their holidays enjoying themselves and learning life skills, while Christine Cunliffe believed holiday homework did no harm in balance.
Another woman, Debbie Thompson, phoned in live from Greece, where she’d taken her 13-year-old daughter on a half-term holiday – without her school books.
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Justifying her decision, Debbie said: “It’s a family holiday and we get very little time with them as it is during school time.
“Last week she had homework every day, coming home from school and working until a quarter to nine in the evening. My husband works shifts. We get very little family time together.
“It was important to us she didn’t bring her homework as we wanted to spend time together as a family.”
When asked how her child will cope returning to school without the work done, Debbie said her daughter is a hard worker and will get as much done as possible when they’re back from holiday.
“If she doesn’t get all her homework done I will be writing a letter to the individual teacher and asking if she can have an extension because we were on a family holiday,” she said.
“She’s a bit nervous about it. In her school if they don’t do homework they are put in detention.
“But if she was, I would take her straight out.”
Headteacher Christine argued structure is important and “doing a bit of everything every day goes a long way.”
Claire, however, firmly disagreed and said: “When adults are on holiday we don’t work, so why should kids who diligently work term time have to work in their holiday?”
She also felt kids are exhausted by the end of the school year, suggesting they get too much work and too much pressure.
Christine, however, said homework can help instill a “life long love of learning” in children.
Amanda then interjected to say she understood both sides of the argument, being a mum to a five-year-old and 11-year-old.
She said: “What about the argument that when you get to 11, which is how I’m justifying it to my own child, you’re at a different school, growing up and in a few years you’ll get a job. You have to get out of the mentality of having a good time at primary school and buckle down at 11.”
Claire, however, told Amanda her children would learn more life skills from their parents than homework.
Amanda countered with the argument that homework prepares kids for the pressures of life, but Claire said there is already too much pressure on children and “inordinate amounts” of homework.
Christine said it was all about balance: giving some work during holidays but ensuring children are well-rounded, happy and still have time to enjoy life.
She pointed out her own teenage son works hard and understands he needs good grades to attend his chosen university, but he’s still been able to walk the dog, visit tourist attractions and enjoy the half-term holiday.
Ben agreed it was all about balance – and revealed the rule in his house for son Sam.
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“If the homework hasn’t been completed by a certain time we will send a message to the teacher saying Sam has done work – it’s not that he hasn’t been working, it’s that he’s done enough and it’s too late.
“It’s all about finding that balance.”
Plenty of viewers agreed, saying a bit of homework was fine – but kids needed to a) be kids and b) be allowed to chill out and relax.
Some pointed out parents can be fined for taking kids out of school for holidays during the term, so how is it fair to set homework during their holiday time?
Others felt all homework should be banned over the holidays and kids given the freedom to unwind.
Meanwhile, some viewers thought homework was vital – even during the holidays.
As always, This Morning certainly got people talking!