Following a vote from pupils and parents, Inverlochy Primary in Fort William has scrapped homework for its 175 students.
Around 60 per cent of parents and 80 per cent of students voted to scrap homework, feeling that the benefits of such work were minimal and sought only to add extra stress and pressure on the children. The students will be encouraged to play instead, and read books that appeal to them.
Parents, headteachers and other school staff have permission from Highland Council to make decisions over how their schools are operated, provided these do not directly contravene the legislation set out to them.
“Highland Council has a devolved school management system in our schools,” said a spokesperson for the council.
“The authority does not have a Highland-wide ‘no homework’ policy in place – this is something that Inverlochy Primary School is trialling in their school.”
A spokesperson for the EIS, Scotland’s largest teachers’ union said: “It is important that all pupils develop their abilities to study independently and homework is one – but not the only – method of supporting this type of independent learning.
“Ultimately, it is for individual schools and teachers to determine, based on teachers’ professional judgement and knowledge of their own pupils’ learning needs, how best to structure the delivery of all aspects of the curriculum.”