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Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

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Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Secondary education

Change to timing of school day - anyone experienced this?

94 replies

ibbydibby · 23/04/2014 22:20

School switched to academy status in autumn term, following notice of special measures earlier in year. Sent out letter during Easter hols informing us that from Sep 2014, will finish at 5pm 3 days a week, with slightly earlier finish other 2 days.

Has anyone experienced this? ie school/academy done this? Am just a bit freaked by prospect of longer day, tired DS (will be year 8), impact on family life (will mean we eat later etc).

Extra time at school is to accomodate homework and sports/hobbies.

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5madthings · 23/04/2014 22:22

I have a thread on this as my boys school
Is doing the same in Sept, are you in Norfolk? If so it's prob the same School. My thread is in education in the staff room section.

I am not happy about this change, nor the money I just had to fork out for New pe kit!

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5madthings · 23/04/2014 22:23

My boys go by bus so leave at 7;40am and won't get home till nearly 6pm!

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5madthings · 23/04/2014 22:26

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/the_staffroom/2051306-longer-school-day-looking-for-teachers-views

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5madthings · 23/04/2014 22:27

My ds1 is in yr 10 and ds2 is in yr7. Pm me if it's the same School!

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ibbydibby · 23/04/2014 22:30

Yes ! Same school - sorry hadn't realised - should have looked!

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5madthings · 23/04/2014 22:32

We'll I wasn't sure where to post, was in schoolers centre yesterday and lots of unhappy parents there with kids at same school.

Don't think there is much we can do though as academies can do what they want!

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Nocomet · 23/04/2014 22:39

Just collect your children after the last formal lesson. Hobbies and HW clubs are not part of a child's legal need to receive an education.

DD2 loves to get out and trampoline and practice gymnastics after school. She would not be impressed at getting home at 6pm (her bus is that awful)

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5madthings · 23/04/2014 22:43

I can't collect mine as am getting younger ones, they get a public bus. I will tell them and the School that they have my permission to leave at the normal time.

I have no issue with schools offering after school care, but do not agree with it being compulsory. Also I feel fir the teachers as they have to run it, when are they supposed to do planning and marking etc?!

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irregularegular · 23/04/2014 22:48

But if they will have their homework done by then, it's not really a much longer day is it? And do you really eat as a family before 6??

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5madthings · 23/04/2014 22:56

They won't have all their homework done, they get an hour one day and an hour another day to do homework, they get more than two hours homework a week!

And actually the boys doing homework at home is a way of seeing what they are doing at school ans being involved in their education, it's important to me to see what they are doing. We eat at 6pm sometimes 5:30. So they will be coming in to eat straight away.

Currently they are home by 4pm and have time to get changed and unwind and talk about their day, do some homework, play, spend time with sibling etc.

I choose not to use after school childcare and I don't want it forced on me, we don't want it or need it!

As my partner works shifts and often works weekends it means they will see their Dad much less as well so it will really interfere with family time.

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ibbydibby · 27/04/2014 11:59

Agree 5madthings that doing homework at home is a wa of us being more involved in their education.

Originally when I first read letter on email I thought it consisted of just the 3 page letter. However have had another look at it today and discovered page 4 is blank, then there are 2 more pages of info. Re independent study it says that these sessions will take place of traditional homework and that when students leave at end of day, the focus will be on family time and not on completing homework.

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Nocomet · 27/04/2014 12:15

That's all very well, but as I said above DD2 trampolines and DD1 often goes for a walk when she gets home.

Activities which require Day Light, doing HW does not.

DD2, would be happy to stay till 5pm for well organised sports.

DD1 would swim or two nights a week, but she would absolutely loath being forced to do HW with the peers who she finds hard work all day (DD1 is a quirky dyslexic, with all the social skill problems and peer group unpleasantness that goes with the territory. She wants her own company or her out of school DFs at 3.30pm)

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ibbydibby · 27/04/2014 12:59

Yep I think a lot of families in simiar situations Nocomet, letter suggests "arrangements" can be made to accommodate when there are clashes with clubs etc. (though on rereading your post I guess these are not club activities, but what they want to do in own time. Agree they need time to do whatever, after a day spent in lessons.)

Re homework agree with what you say. In my prev post I just pointed out what letter said - I don't necessarily agree (I absolutely don't agree!)

There are meetings at school this week. Supposedly re consultation on activities on offer. But hopefully we will be able to discuss concerns re dark/freedom/homework, many of which have already been submitted to school.

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5madthings · 27/04/2014 13:44

ibbywhen are the meetings this week? There are diff ones for diff year groups aren't there.

I shall be going with a list of concerns!

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ibbydibby · 27/04/2014 13:46

Sorry 5madthings was generalising as I knew there were 2 this week.

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5madthings · 27/04/2014 13:58

Just looking at letter, mine are yr 7 which is 12th May and yr 10 the 7th May. So not this week, few panic over!

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balia · 30/04/2014 21:08

If it is an academy I think they will do as they like regardless of what parents think. Or staff, come to that.

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nostress · 02/05/2014 16:41

My son is at an academy that finishes at 4.15 monday to thursday and 1.15pm fridays. They are also encouraged to stay til 5 or 6. He does stay if he has stuff to get on with otherwise he comes home and gets back 5.40pm. Its fine. And he enjoys friday afternoons off/long weekend feel.

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MrsMaturin · 02/05/2014 16:51

My older daughter has GCSEs this year and has been staying behind most days over the last few months for extra work or additional classes (all optional). I don't think it's made a lot of difference to her energy etc. The school day is quite short otherwise.

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5madthings · 02/05/2014 17:37

The changes are for all years not just gcse years, my elder son in yr 10 will be fine with the longer day but won't enjoy it. Getting home at 6pm is not conducive to family life, my 11yr old will be shattered, going to bed at 8pm,up at 6:40 to leave ny 7:40 it's too long a day.

My partner also works weekends so will hardly see the children, currently on week days he often finishes. At 4pm so sees them then.

I also prefer them doing homework at home so we can keep tabs on what they are doing, be involved and keep up to date with how they are getting on.

We have stuff we do on weekdaynights,getting in at 6pm leaves time for dinner, getting stuff ready for next school day, shower and not much else.

They won't be finishing at 1:15pm on Friday so no long afternoon.

I have no problem with them offering activities and homework clubs but they should not be ccompulsory or run by teachers who have marking and planning etc.

Regardless of doing gcses they are still chchildren and don't need to be doing ten hour days!

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MrsMaturin · 02/05/2014 18:08

Ummmm parents who work outside the home and use after school childcare in primary don't get home till 6 or after. Kids adapt. I can assure you we still have family life.

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5madthings · 02/05/2014 18:41

That's great if it works for you, we have chosen as a family not to use after school care. We don't need it and we don't want it.

As I said my partner does shift work and works weekends, so doesn't ser the children at weekend's but is around in the week in the afternoon's and that time is important to us,even litte things like on a nice day being able to go to the beach after school and have dinner out. The elder boys like to spend tome with their siblings, but the little ones go to bed at 7pm so they will only see them for an hour which will be taken up dinner and bedtime routine for little ones.

Even things like ds2 loves cooking so he will often get involved in cooking dinner but by not getting home til 6pm he won't be able to do that.

There is also the issue for many parents of the children travelling home alone in the dark in rural areas.

After school care is fine if you need it, I have no problems with any schools offering it, it's great when they do but it should NOT be compulsory or run by teachers who have more important work to be doing. When are they supposed to plan and Mark if they are teaching till 5pm. The majority of teachers already do many hours work in the evenings etc and many of them have families.

Also if you look at the various studies evidence is that it doesn't improve results, if anything it can have negative effects.

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MrsMaturin · 02/05/2014 19:16

Well it sounds like the school is pretty committed to this change so I think you need to think about how it can be made to work for your family and what you could do differently. I don't know what the legal position is if you choose to insist your child leaves at the previous time but I suspect that may indeed also be an option as long as they have had the legally mandated amount of education time in that week. I think that you need to recognise though that for the majority of families, with parents working 9-5 ish this could be a really positive change that will improve their family lives as parents and children arrive home together, home work etc already done.

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5madthings · 03/05/2014 00:39

Why should I have to adjust my lifestyle to fit in with wworking parents with 9-5 jobs, thousands of parents don't have 9-5 jobs or weekend's off etc.

As I said I am happy for the school to offer aafter school clubs and wrap around care, bit why should it be compulsory?

We have aarranged our lifestyle around my partners job, which he can't change and even if he could then any job in the same area would still be shift work.

I will essentially have two hours with the kids before bed, this might work for you bit doesn't work for us, the 9-5 model doesn't work for many jobs, particularly in the care system and as more jobs are done online and globally etc.

Of you wamt wrap around care then use it, but why should it be forced on families that don't need it?

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MrsMaturin · 03/05/2014 09:12

Well unfortunately for you schools are always going to make arrangements which suit the majority and I suspect this arrangement will suit the majority. I take it you don't work atm? Why not get a job as well. Might change your perspective. I can assure you that your family will still function fine and you might not feel as bad about this change in time with the children if you did something else with it. Obviously waiting at home for them to return two hours later every day will be a bit dreary. The other options are change school or as I said in my earlier post see how enforceable this is - because I suspect you'll find it IS NOT enforceable - and then you don't need to worry anymore. At least until your kids demand to stay with their friends - which is a possibility.