If teachers don't set homework, parents complain. The school is seen as a bad school, including by government inspectors. Just cos many teachers disagree with homework doesn't mean they don't have to set it as part of their job.

And find a school without homework if you don't want your child to do it. Don't write to the school every year demanding special treatment. Just puts the teacher in an bad position when the paperwork is audited. Every frigging month.

Rant over.

But homework should be helpful, if set, and alternatives are great. With the jolly phonics songs, when Liebling did them (age 3 - homework isn't the only issuevI have with the system here), it was one song a week to slowly build up the sound awareness.
Homework can be set, but in Australia we're not checked up on by the department if we haven't set it. It's not compulsory anyway and most schools will take the view that if it's causing trouble at home, then there's not much point forcing it. Arte isn't asking for special treatment by saying she doesn't think her child should have it. I can guarantee that most kids don't hand it in anyway. Out of my 23 kids, I get maybe half of them bringing homework each week. I don't know how NZ works though.

Arte, the jolly phonics focuses on one letter/sound per week. There is a specific order that they are learned in as well. Start off with the first one and then do that for a few days. It's not supposed to take long either - short lessons are what they would be doing at school, so maybe a few minutes at home would be enough.