It's time to end homework for primary schools and exams for secondary
Proposing one of the boldest overhauls of Scottish education in decades, the Scottish Greens’ manifesto will include commitment to end the use of homework in primary school and an overhaul of the Victorian-era high stakes exams system in secondary.
Previous research commissioned by Scottish Greens MSPs showed that homework in primary school can have a negative impact on learning due to younger children’s lack of motivation for additional schoolwork. It can also worsen inequality as it disadvantages children without access to technology and learning resources or whose home life makes it difficult to complete.
Scottish Greens co-leader Ross Greer said:
“Homework in primary school offers little, if any, proven benefit. In fact, the evidence suggests it can do more harm than good.
“It can dampen rather than encourage curiosity, turning education into something to dread rather than love. Children need time to play, to explore and to socialise with each other after school. Homework gets in the way of these learning opportunities.
“Everyone accepts that the primary curriculum has become far too cluttered. This puts pressure on teachers to issue more homework just to get through it all. That isn’t the solution though, fixing the curriculum is.
“We can’t just stick with homework because it's what we’ve always done. We need to think big, be bold and embrace this chance to fix the system.”
The Greens’ manifesto will also include a commitment to move away from Scotland’s Victorian-era system of high stakes exams.
The party will instead propose that more of each student’s grade is based on work they have completed throughout the year. This would be a far more accurate and rounded measure of their knowledge and abilities.
The proposal aligns the Scottish Greens with the recommendations made by Scottish education expert Professor Louise Hayward, whose Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessments was published by the Scottish Government in 2024.
Ross added:
“High stakes end of term exams have never been a fair or accurate way of measuring a young person's knowledge or their abilities. A bad cold or a poor night’s sleep caused by a chaotic home life can mean students missing out on the grade they really deserved. That just isn’t right.
“The Scottish Government’s own expert review told them to move on from this Victorian-era system, but they refused. Scottish education needs to be pulled into the 21st century, not held back by this timid thinking. The Scottish Greens will deliver these long overdue improvements for our school system.”
