UK Primary School Finishing Time In The 70s?

[TheOnlyWayToEatSandwiches]

I have done loads of research spent more than 5 minutes on Google before giving up and cannot find out how the finishing time of primary schools has changed over the years.

My OH and I are arguing about it.

I'm sure I used (in the 1970s and possibly early 80s) to finish at 16:30 ish, and they changed it to 15:30 at some point.

Or did I dream it?

[mouldycheesefan]

You may have dreamt it. I remember it being 3.30 but I guess schools do vary!

[CMOTDibbler]

We finished at 3 all through primary. At secondary we finished at 4.15 Mon-Thurs, Friday 2.30

[MsWorthington]

That was the era I was at school, I'm almost certain that we finished at 3.30 all through primary. I know I finished at 4pm at secondary as I used to spend all afternoon clock watching.

[PacificOcean]

I'm a child of the 70s and I'm pretty sure it was 3.30

[ftw]

Primary was 3.15 and secondary 3.45 for me. From about 1978.

[SydneyCarton]

Primary 3.15 (83-89), secondary 3.35 (89-96)

[DoNotBlameMeIVotedRemain]

Ours was 3.30 which was moved back to 3.15 in early 1980s. There was a song about it that started 'at half past 3 we go home to tea, or maybe a quarter to 4.' which school had to change so I remember it well. My two finish at 3.15 for infants and 3.30 for juniors so similar.

[TheOnlyWayToEatSandwiches]

Oh. Perhaps I just got a lot of detention then :|

[MyWineTime]

3.15 for infants
3.30 for juniors & secondary

[Imnothungryforbreadandbutter]

Start time was later though.
It was always 9 o'clock.

[ProfYaffle]

I think it was around 3.15 ish. After school stuff could sometimes take it to 4.30pm though.

[Em3978]

84-87 Primary finished at 3.45
87-91 Middle school finished at 3.30

91-95 secondary finished 3.30

[Idliketobeabutterfly]

Mother in law said d it was 9 til 4 for hubby who was born early 70s

[ShelaghTurner]

3.25 here

[HelloCanYouHearMe]

When i started primary in the mid 80s, it was after 4 when we finished. This was then changed to 310.

Secondary school (early 90s) was 325pm finish

[AntiquityAgain]

3:15 in winter, 3:30 otherwise.

My upper school was 9:20-3:50 which is a way more civilised for teenagers than start times these days!

[TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince]

Didn't it just differ depending on where you lived?

Infant and Junior finished at 3:30.

Secondary at 4.00

[freetrampolineforall]

9 till 4 in 70s.

[catslife]

I was at school in 1970s Infants 9 to 3.30pm Juniors 9 to 3.45pm. Secondary 9 to 4pm.
However it isn't just about the start and finish times. In the 1970s more children had school dinners or went home (no packed lunches) so lunch time was longer. Also at primary school we had a mid-afternoon play-time as well as mid-morning one.
I think what happened in the late 1980s/early 1990s was that many schools shortened the lunch break (and for the primary age group removed the afternoon playtime).

[Out2pasture]

Rather than finding out start and stop times (which will be different from school to school). You may want to see how many hours of education per year students received decades ago.

[blaeberry]

^At half past three we go home to tea,
Or maybe at quarter to four.^

Can't remember the rest of the song.

[gillybeanz]

It was 3.30 in Primary and 3.45 in secondary, where i lived.
This was 1971- 82.

[HereIAm20]

I was at primary until 1977.

Primary was 9am - 3.25pm

I then went to grammar school, which was 8.35am until 3.15pm (bizarrely earlier than primary) but apparently this gave secondary kids enough time to walk to primary to collect younger siblings and look after them while parents were at work.

[Kr1stina]

3:20pm for me 1967- 74

[riceuten]

We finished at 4pm, but we didn't start till 9am. 2 breaks of 15 mins, plus lunch from 12-1.

Secondary school was 0920 to 1545, with an hour and ten minutes for lunch, and a break 1120 to 1135.