Often, when we have school tours in this House the Cathaoirleach will make a gesture by saying they should be given the day off homework. Last week, I received some communication from a student whose name is Brion Kellett. I invited him in today to listen to the Order of Business because I thought his email to me really captured why that should not just be a gesture and we should rethink homework. The contribution is via me but it is Brion's. Homework is given as if everybody is the same but kids all work at different speeds and have different skills. Some kids find it easy to sit down and do their homework, others find it hard to concentrate and remember what they learned in school. If kids find homework hard, they can feel embarrassed or ashamed and they may feel there is no point in doing it even if they know they will get into trouble. This can make a lot of kids feel worse, especially people who are already finding it hard in school. If there are lots of people to help them at home, they might get the support they need, like they do from teachers in school, but if their parents are busy or do not understand the subject, everybody can get upset. That makes it even harder for the kid to learn properly.

Homework is supposed to help with learning but Finland does not give homework and kids there do as well as those in other countries. Brion does not think it is about homework; it is about the school you are in and the home you live in. Teachers do not know what goes on at home but give homework and then give punishments for not doing it as if everybody has the same home. Brion did a survey of his class and people spent very different times doing their homework, from 20 minutes to over an hour for some. That does not seem fair. We need to think about all the other things that are important for kids, not just education. We know fresh air, exercise, doing things that make your brain and body feel good and playing are important. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child says kids have a right to play. It is likely more important than school for our well-being, health and happiness. Brion asked his class what they did on days they did not get homework and it was evenly split between sport, hobbies, playing with friends and screen time. Being good at things outside school can help kids feel happy and proud. Kids, like adults, can end up being too busy and tired. Then everything in school, including homework, gets harder and harder. Adults get to rest when they finish their work and kids need that, too. Adults need to really think about homework, why they think it is important and what else might be important for kids. Kids need to be able to do all the important things in our lives and not just homework.

I thought this illustrated a number of things. It was also an acknowledgement of the clarity of thinking of a young boy who can see how important play is in one's life and how important sports and recreation are. We often have discussions in this Chamber about different types of family and the fact some families are living in hotel accommodation, some families are one-parent households, or families where the mother has to go out to work in the evening. There are so many different types of situation, yet the class as a whole will be given a broad sweep of homework and everybody will be expected to finish it even though not everybody can contribute in the same way. It should not just be a gesture or a luxury for someone to get no homework. It is a really serious conversation about why it is necessary for our education system. I congratulate Brion for engaging not only with this Chamber, but also with his classmates in having discussions. If I have to leave the Chamber for the justice committee meeting at 3 p.m. before the Leader comes back in, it would still be helpful if he could respond so Brion could see the process play out in terms of his contribution to the Chamber.

Hear, hear. Well done to Brion.