bags I agree up to a point. Kids who arrive at school motivated and excited to learn usually get on well with or without homework being set. I stopped reading school readers with my girls as they were too tedious and I had heard them too many times at work!!
Sadly some kids arrive and see school as a social environment only and need support to engage in the learning activities. So sometimes (good) homework helps families to understand that school is about learning ... though too often it does not! But for those that it helps it is worth it.
Schools are under enormous pressure from central government to show 'results' so not surprising homework is sometimes used to try to improve them! If kids not where government think they should be and school is not using homework then inspectors may view that as evidence that the school is not doing all it can to improve standards! rock and a hard place comes to mind
Lack of public toilets in towns.