STUDENTS all over the country may have cheered this week when a British headmaster announced plans to scrap homework, declaring it a dinosaur whose time had long since gone.

But pupils, at least in this part of the world, need not think they will soon be sent home without their regular dose of home study.

Most sensible parents think scrapping homework is "complete nonsense", according to Nick Seaton, chairman of the York branch of the parents' pressure group, the Campaign for Real Education.

He told the Evening Press today: "I think most sensible parents think the idea of schools downgrading homework is complete nonsense and very damaging to pupils."

Chris Bridge, head at Huntington School, is another staunch advocate of home study in addition to school lessons.

He said the value of homework could not be underestimated, and he believed an hour's homework a night for five years was worth an extra year at school.

Mr Bridge said that at Huntington School, homework was used regularly to enhance and extend work carried out in the classroom.

Youngsters who failed to do their homework can find they have notes made in their lesson planners about their lapse. A letter can be sent home to parents about the problem and they can be held back after school for supervised homework sessions.

Mr Bridge said: "Homework really is extra learning and the benefits are numerous. It reinforces learning and if they take home what they have learned in lessons it will help them learn and absorb it more."

The policy has been running for two years and Mr Bridge said Huntington's results spoke for themselves.

In both years that the school has operated the tough system, it has had its best examination results.

Updated: 09:37 Wednesday, January 26, 2005