The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has reported that children in developed countries are doing less homework.
Analysis of the OECD's regular tests of 15-year-olds shows across 38 countries, teenagers were spending an average of 4.9 hours a week on homework in 2012, an hour less than in 2003.
In New Zealand, the average was just over four hours a week, a fall of about 20 minutes, although children from well-off families do about an hour more than that, and those from poor backgrounds an hour less.
The OECD's report said homework was related to performance, but it had little effect after four hours a week and other factors were more important.
