Review call as state scraps time guide HOMEWORK hijacks family life, is stopping children from exercising and should be reviewed, a leading child psychologist has warned. As debate continues over the effectiveness of homework, The Sunday Mail can reveal Education Queensland has abolished its homework time guidelines, including that Prep students "generally" should not be set any. Students aged 4-5 are now often being sent home with "readers." Early Childhood Teachers Association president Kim Walters said they were against that idea, with Prep students better off reading practical texts such as recipes and catalogues at home, or having stories read to them by parents. Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, who has been voicing concerns about homework for years, said while he was not opposed to it, he was opposed to how it was being delivered. "The reason I want a change is because the evidence base is there that says there is no academic benefit from homework in primary school, it hijacks family life, they (children) are not doing enough exercise and it causes fights," he said. He said homework should be reviewed nationally and either abolished in primary school or include practical activities such as housework, shopping, sport and board games. Associate Professor Mike Horsley of Central Queensland University said homework should be reformed. Prof Horsley, who co-wrote the book Reforming Homework, said while research showed homework had no effect on achievement in children aged under eight, and little benefit in Years 4 to 6, it did have benefits for younger students by teaching them to "self-regulate" if it was of high quality. "Research done in Germany shows that often kids who spend a long time doing homework actually achieve less than kids who spend a very small time doing homework," he said. It has to involve new learning - not drill and practice ... and they (children) have to have a fair degree of say in how and when and what they do in their homework. He said homework did make a difference to achievement in Years 10 to 12 and was a contentious issue. An investigation by The Sunday Mail has found many Queensland Year 11 and 12 students are being set about three hours of homework a night, including assignments. Queensland Secondary Principals' Association president Norm Fuller said in state schools about 15 hours a week was the general guideline for homework in Year 12, but ambitious students often studied more. Queensland Teachers' Union president Kevin Bates said "the happy medium is to make sure kids can still be kids." Education Queensland assistant director-general Marg Pethiyagoda said state schools developed homework policy in consultation with their school community. "Teachers are best placed to decide the extent and type of homework that suits the individual learning needs of their students in all year levels, including Prep," she said.