An angry mum has divided opinion after posting concerns over her daughter's homework assignment.
In a Mumsnet forum the anonymous mum said: "DD [darling daughter] has been set her history homework for this week. She has to design a 'new Tudor Torture device'.
"Draw it, label it etc and explain why it would be more effective than previous torture devices!
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"AIBU [am I being unreasonable] that this is a bit unnecessary? They are year 8. Do they really need to be encouraged to think of new ways to torture people!?"
The forum quickly filled with other users giving their opinions on the assignment.
One wrote: "That's v odd. I'd send a note in saying DD is not completing this hw." To which the mother replied that her daughter was too worried about getting a detention to do this.
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"That is seriously inappropriate! I’d actually contact the head teacher on this," added another.
A third wrote: "This wouldn’t sit well with me. I think it’s de humanising..."
One person even suggested if they'd bee assigned this homework as a teenager it would have left them "traumatised" and with nightmares. Adding, "probably would still feel like that if I was made to do it now."
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Not all the forum's users agreed with the dismayed mother though.
One responded: "Year 8, not 8 years old. What's the problem? Do you micromanage all of her homework??"
The mother replied to this comment saying: "No, I absolutely do not micromanage her homework. I was just struggling to see the relevance of getting teenagers to think up new ways to torture people - seems odd."
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Other users compared the assignment to Horrible Histories saying that while a bit strange the task is likely to "engage their imagination by making it gruesome."
Another added: "Huh. Pretty sure I had to do this for history homework too. (This would be almost 30 years ago)."
One simply wrote: "Sounds like an interesting project to me."
Isobel Pankhurst