Secondary teachers - what time do you go home?

[Verycold]

Do you always stay on after lessons finish, or do you sometimes (regularly? How often?) leave as soon as you have finished teaching for the day (and then do work at home?)?

[elliepac]

It varies dependent upon workload. Luckily I work in a school where it is not frowned upon to leave immediately at the end of the day and you are trusted to complete your work wherever you see fit.

School finishes at 3.25, an average day would see me leaving somewhere around 4.15. Fridays I leave at 3.26. I would rather leave earlier and spend time with dc's and then work later in the evening. Some colleagues prefer to stay until 5ish and then do less work at home.

[Clary]

we finish at 3.30, staff can leave from 3.40 and several do. I usually leave between 3.45 and 4 tbh unless Ihave a meeting.

I need to get home to see to my kids - they are older than some but I don't like them being alone for more than about an hour.

I then work all evening usually from about 7.30-8 till 10-11pm. Nobody has complained AFAIK.

If I didn't have the DC I would stay at school till 6pm and prob get evrything done there!

[Verycold]

Thanks for replying. Do you have full-time posts?

[HidingUnderMyDuvet]

School finishes at 14:50. I usually stay until about 17:00 or 17:30. I have no children, so I prefer to get my work done before I go home. Friday on the other hand is home as soon as possible!

[BadHairYear]

Varies. School finishes at 3. If it's a nice day I can be out of the door at 3.01 and in the park with ds by 3.30, then work in the evening. 'Usually' I stay until between 4.30/5 though.

[AntoinetteCosway]

I'm a part timer; I leave after my last lesson, whatever time that is, and then do marking and planning at home. It's usually 2 to 3 hours of work at home but I'd rather do it there as if you stay in school you get disturbed constantly and the work takes longer to do.

[Rainbowinthesky]

I leave at 6 most days and maybe once a month leave straight away after lessons.

[PotteringAlong]

I'm full time - I leave at 3.45 to go and see DS then work when he's in bed. Pre children I never left before 5 ish and did all my work in school.

My head just trusts that we'll get it done and doesn't mind when / where

[Littleturkish]

When I was childless and full time I left at 6pm

[chosenone]

School finishes at 3.05 for us a few, including the head of english leave within the first half hour. She is excellent and clearly does a lot at home. I rehearse with kids 2 days after school for most of the year so will stayuntil 5 pm. Meetings on mondays fi ish approx 4.30and one day a week I leave to pick up dc from a music group by 4pm. I only work I the eveevenings if I have a lot of ks4 marking but prefer to do a couple of hours on a sunday. Planning and overhaul ing sow work will mainly be done in gained year 11 time this next half term. Im 15 years in and xid a lot more planning pre dc in the early years though.
Also our head has made it clear he trusts us and to manage our time accordingly. Although there was some pressure on core subjects to provide after school revision sessions until 4.30 most days.

[Verycold]

Interesting how different it is

[LaurieFairyCake]

Dh is always home by 7 now even with revision sessions every day.

At the last school he had to stay at school as the intranet couldn't be worked on from home. It caused regular arguments when he got home after 8.

[Hulababy]

When I taught secondary I used to leave quite early, tidied up after bell went and if no meeting I went to collect dd from nursery. I always took work home and worked in the evenings.

I work in primary now, although no a teacher. I already stay longer at primary (infants) as a HLTA than I dd in secondary and the teachers often seem to. I still take work home bit more of the stuff needs to happen in school in primary ime.

So not extra amounts of work, just done differently

[Verycold]

Interesting. Hoping to manage at least ond day of leaving straight away when returning to teaching in September!

[Clary]

Yes I am full time.

I am also an NQT which I suspect has something to do with the amount of work I do at home (I hope so anyway as this is not sustainable for me)

Good luck with the return OP. I think (hope) most people are in the position of as long as you get the work done, it don't much matter when or where. I have a colleague who frequently answers 11pm emails, yet she leaves the same time as me.

[EvilTwins]

I'm full time. School finishes at 3. Monday is meetings day so tied up til at least 4.30 in those. DTDs are in after school club at their primary so I can pick them up any time before 6. Tuesday - Thursday I run clubs at school - the Tuesday/Wednesday clubs are supposed to run til 4/4.15 but I regularly shove the kids out of the door at 4.45. Fridays I leave at 3.01 - it's the only day I pick the DTDs up straight from the classroom - their school finishes at 3.15 and is about a 10 minute drive from mine.

I don't get work done after school though - meetings or clubs. I tend to work at least a couple of hours most evenings (not Fridays - never Fridays) and put in a few hours on Sundays. I think that's pretty standard. If I didn't run any after school activities, I could either get more work done before leaving or leave earlier, but I prefer to run the clubs.

[PotteringAlong]

I think it is very different but I agree with the poster above - it's not more or less work, it's just work done in different places and in different ways.

It's half term and I've just got home from school - I've worked for 3 evenings this week and for 3 hours this morning but it's worth it for being able to pick DS up at a reasonable time and for spending the rest of the week with him.

You hear lots and lots of horror stories about teaching - just remember it's about working smart as well as working hard!

[Phineyj]

You can see the tumbleweed in our corridors after 3.40! But we all work at home as excellent intranet but school pcs aren't great. Also, no pressure to stay in school.

[englishteacher78]

Wow! Some of your schools finish really early! We finish at 3:40. If I have rehearsals or (voluntary) library duty I'll leave about 5:15. The same if I have KS3 books to mark - a set of 32 is a bit heavy when you walk to work! If I have GCSE or A Level work or prep I do that home - much more comfortable. As long as things get done no one minds. Only judgy none teacher types who seem to think we don't work at home. My DH does get cross with how much work I do at home.

[PuppyMummy]

we finish at 2.50. I leave normally around 4.30. However this could be later, up to 5.30 and on a Friday I try not to stay later than 4.
I don't do much work at home at all though, mainly just marking which I do on a Sunday.
Also I don't have my own kids so only reason to leave is to get to the gym!

[Timetabler]

Varies greatly, meetings aside. Sometimes I leave at 4.30 and carry on at home until at least 8.
Other times I stay until 6.30 then do a hour or so at home.

I go in for 7am, though, so am trying not to work past 8. Am HoD, which changes things a bit - no flipping time in school to do anything!

Although I do take my respite when it comes - have had a week ast week of finshing at 4.30 and staying finished

Peaks and troughs. No pressure to stay in work.