ASSESSMENT- it's not possible to use 'homework' for assessment when:-

a stupid rich child might have work space (even a separate room), time free of any household duties and the quiet necessary for concentration;

an intelligent poorer child might have no space - (many families being doomed to single room b&b accommodation), has family duties - (child minding, cleaning etc.), and cannot find any quiet at all.

a stupid rich child can use the Internet to cut and paste a complete and perfect (but worthless) package in a few minutes;

an intelligent poorer child, without access to the Internet and little free time is forced to do several days' hard work to assemble a `lesser-rated' package.

Because she's handicapped by lack of time, space (and motivation), and by poorer contents / availability of local library - now being robbed of funds by our corrupt councillors & bureaucrats

LEARNING WORK - worthless material is given to pupils to be slavishly copied and memorized. Most of it is out-of-date or just plain wrong.

In addition, those masses of worthless data - and subsequent exams - are a ridiculous and damaging over-load of pupils who would gain from more out-of-classroom time and more time for private reading.

Estimate:-

junking 33% of the curriculum - so removing misinformation and ending 'curriculum rush';

reintroducing valuable non-classroom subjects - music, sport, PE, drama, swimming, private reading / private study etc - to the school day;

scrapping homework completely - to prevent damaging class-bias and discrimination;

would substantially improve characters and academic outcomes!

UK's MULTI-EXAM SYSTEM

Why do UK politicians seem always to choose, initially anyway, the most harmful and inefficient methods and systems?

By 2006 - UK's intensive multiple exam system has had the effect of making `valuable' - so far as selfish teachers and heads are concerned - only those students pretty well guaranteed to achieve good `passes'.

At all stages the others are deemed `worthless' - by selfish teachers and heads - because the league tables are biased toward pre-selection.

So, at all stages they tend to be abandoned - by selfish teachers and heads - whilst in reality they are most important students of all. They are our future - both as work-force and voters!

[I suspect politicians make those `wrong' choices because they are guided by a civil-service ruled by elitists, who need to preserve privilege and corruption for their own advantage.
Which is why we see this apparent `incompetence' in all matters:- of taxation, education, law, policing and of the electoral system itself.]