A 15-year-old boy is lobbying to have homework scrapped in secondary schools around the country.
Lee Sibley, a GCSE pupil at Severn Vale School, Glos, started the Change.org petition urging Prime Minister Theresa May to ban homework in UK secondary schools.
It has so far amassed 160 signatures, and the Year 11 pupil, who studies Politics, History, English, Maths, Geography, and Science, says the two pieces of homework a week he gets in each subject is too much.
Lee, who would rather be playing badminton or tennis, or out fishing rather than indoors studying, says he is doing three or four hours homework each night.
He said: “Students go to school about 30 hours a week and spend more hours doing homework.
“They should be able to relax their brains and have a break, not work all the time.
“I can’t socialise with my friends and family because of all this homework.
“I haven’t been able to play tennis or badminton as much recently, or go fishing.”
During his half-term break in October, Lee was given ten pieces of homework to do – which he says is too much.
On a school trip to the Houses of Parliament, he raised the issue with his local MP Richard Graham, but was told he should discuss it with the school.
The petition is also addressed to Mr Graham, as well as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and also Severn Vale School head teacher Richard Johnson.
Lee, who has learning difficulties, muscle problems and hypermobile joints, lives in Hardwicke, near Quedgeley, Glos.
Lee’s mum Nicky, 43, said: “When I got home from school, I couldn’t wait to get out and play.
“Now they have stress and too much homework. Lee suffers from anxiety.
“He gets very anxious about it. He is committed and willing to learn but sometimes it is too much.”
A spokesman for Severn Vale School said: “We have extremely high expectations of our students as learners and expect them to take personal responsibility for their learning as well as benefiting from the expertise of our highly skilled staff.
“Extensive academic research – from the Sutton Trust amongst others – evidences that regular completion of homework increases levels of both attainment and achievement across all subject areas.
“Much homework for GCSE students is revision which is an ongoing process given the demands of the new GCSE subjects.
“A recent feedback session with a panel of students from across the school showed that this is extremely popular.
“We have two rooms available after school for students to complete homework in and these sessions are well attended and are open for all students to use.”
