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Secondary education

Year 7 & 8 children in break time?!!! Is PLAYING a thing of the past?

59 replies

Confused687 · 10/11/2015 11:30

Help! I could really do with as many replies as possible as I'm finding it really hard to get my head around and I have DC moving into to Year 7 soon and from the schools I have looked at 'play' seems to be considered babyish!!!!!

What do your year 7 children, and also year 8, do in break and lunch times at school? Are they outside getting fresh air? Do they hang around their form rooms chatting? Do they use phones for texting or social media? Do they fill their lunch breaks with clubs or go to the library to do homework or read?

Do any of them go out side and PLAY? Or is playing something that is left behind when the leave primary school? :(

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Vernonon · 10/11/2015 11:32

Mine uses her phone if the group picture her friend posted on Instagram is anything to go by. Clubs are for neeks apparently.

Depressing!

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Vernonon · 10/11/2015 11:42

I just realised yours aren't there yet or I might have been a bit more constructive. The clubs look amazing and there must be loads of kids doing them - just not mine. She has a growing group of friends who all hang out together and laugh a lot (even if someone is always filming). Can't imagine mine 'playing' as such - but I don't remember playing at secondary either.

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cakeisalwaystheanswer · 10/11/2015 11:53

DS is Y11 and still plays football every break and lunchtime. It ruins his very expensive adult sized school shoes and he if usually covered in mud.

DD is Y8 and often spends breaks running round the grounds playing "it", hiding games etc although she will some times go to the library to do homework and she does go to one lunchtime club. Her school has a very strict no phones policy so nobody can use them during the lunch hour.

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Theonethatgotaway772 · 10/11/2015 11:53

Mine don't 'play' just stand around talking (taking selfies) or go in the library

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Seeline · 10/11/2015 11:55

My DD had just started Y7 at a girls indy. They are not allowed in their form rooms at break and are supposed to go outside. Lunchtimes are a bit different as there are loads of clubs to do, or they can go to the library to do homework (useful if they have an after school club).
My Ds is at a boys indy - even in Y9 they still play football sometimes. He is not allowed his phone during the day until Y10.
Seconday is different to primary - they have other things to do during break and lunch - sorting out books etc for the next lot of lessons, buying snacks/lunch, clubs, speaking to teachers to sort out work/homework problems and lots of clubs. If it is a big school and they only get 20 mins or break, much of that can be spent getting from the last lesson to the form room via the canteen and going to the loo!

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Confused687 · 10/11/2015 11:59

Mine are both girls if that makes a difference, which I think it does as boys seem to play football forever!

Cakeisalwaystheanswer - your DD's school sounds ideal!

They seem to grow up too quickly imho. :(

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Ancienchateau · 10/11/2015 12:03

Mine stand around talking about sport and music (DS). DS played table tennis (tables outside in playground) quite a lot in Years 7 & 8. Some of DD1's friends do gymnastics. She seems to stand around telling jokes. No-one "plays".

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Notso · 10/11/2015 12:06

DS1 is in year 7 lunch is only 30 mins so most of it is spent eating or queuing to eat. All the DC except prefects have to be outside or in the social indoor areas at breaks.
There are a couple clubs, quizzes etc in the library, they can play football, netball or tennis.
They are allowed phones DD in yr 11 is never off hers. DS1 win't have a phone though...yet.

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Ancienchateau · 10/11/2015 12:08

DS would play football (or any sport) if he could but it's not allowed. Inner city. Not enough space.

I was hoping my DD would go to an all girls school where they deliberately keep break and lunch very short so they can finish early and do extra curricular stuff (though I'm sure it's really to stop teenage girl shenanigans).

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Notso · 10/11/2015 12:09

Compared to DD, DS1 hasn't really changed much. With DD it was almost instant as if she had been waiting to be in a more grown up environment. DS is the youngest in the school though.

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ChipsandGuac · 10/11/2015 12:20

DS (equivalent to yr 7) still plays. They play manhunt or some weird made up Minecraft themed game that involves running around a lot. I know as he accidentally butt dialed me the other day and it was hilarious sneakily listening in for a minute.

DD (yr 8) uses her lunch hour by going to homework help, student council and a coding club.

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Djelibeyb · 10/11/2015 12:35

At my school the boys played football but girls stood around. It seems the same now as it was then but with more phones depending on school rules.

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RalphSteadmansEye · 10/11/2015 13:12

In the schools I've worked in, boys sometimes play football but girls just hang around in groups and chat. Lots more just sit in silence on their phones. There are plenty at clubs and in the library, too.

At ds's independent school, there is more evidence of both boys and girls playing catch and similar in the playground and a bit more running around. And compulsory to go to at least one or two clubs a week. But still lots of chatting, and social media use etc.

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madmotherof2 · 10/11/2015 13:18

Apparently my DS just chills, eating sweets, with his mates.

No phones allowed

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yomellamoHelly · 10/11/2015 13:51

Ds does a club most days.

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MyLifeisaboxofwormgears · 10/11/2015 13:53

My DD is year 8, some of them stay in the ICT lab but most of them run around playing hunger games type stuff.
No phones allowed.

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FrChewieLouie · 10/11/2015 13:54

Dd1 is in year 7 and she goes to the library every lunchtime/uses the computers.

When I was in y7, oh so many moons ago, nobody really played either though, apart from the keen footballers. We sat in the most sheltered place we could find (cloakrooms if we were lucky) and talked about what was on telly last night.

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bigTillyMint · 10/11/2015 13:58

DS used to play footy in Y7. Which is why black trainers are a much better idea for Secondary School boys!

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Eastpoint · 10/11/2015 14:01

Dcs go to separate schools but both have very long lunch breaks so there is time for clubs & sports practice. Children come from a large area to both schools & there are lots of organised school buses so this works well. Clubs vary from maths to dissection society, there are also tabletennis tables available each day & volleyball & badminton outside in the summer. Small music groups - windband, flute groups, mini concerts, play rehearsals, debating, chess, external speakers.... Loads going on. Lunch is 1hr 25 mins at dds' school & 90 mins at DS's school. Quite a lot of activities are run by older pupils so no need for staff to not get a break.

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Witchend · 10/11/2015 14:12

When I went inot year 7 there wasn't much playing. We did bring in elastics once and were besieged with happy year 11s who wanted to join in. Younger than that they rather looked down their noses at us being babies. Grin

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Hulababy · 10/11/2015 14:18

DD is in y9 now but its been same since she started in y7. They just "hang out" together - chatting, listening to music ( via phones), eat, take photos, etc.

If they need to they will go to the library or a subject workshop to finish homework, retake a test, extra revision, etc.

Sometimes some go to a club - tend to be specific music ones though.

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yeOldeTrout · 10/11/2015 14:21

Phones are perfectly fine.
Yr6s do less imaginative play than littler kids, anyway.

They do still play, but in a different way. Much more directly sociable, roaming, a lot of food sharing & gossip and flirting & showing off. There's still silliness & make-believe at times.

Yr8 the lads did take-down rugby tackles (going down under 5 other lads was how you knew you were firmly accepted in the gang).

yr7 DS is doing badminton today. Other days he might do other sport. Drama club allows for spontaneity, too.

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Naicecuppatea · 10/11/2015 14:28

This thread has made me want to find a school that bans mobile phone use, for when my DC reach secondary! It must be so much healthier for them not to be glued to the screen.

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yeOldeTrout · 10/11/2015 14:39

Just because they use their phones doesn't mean they are glued to them. Break time is a flurry of social interaction at DC's high schools (where phones are indeed allowed). Confused Could have heads buried reading books instead, if they want a small escape from the Chaos for break time instead. I suppose that's what folk moaned about 30-200 yrs ago.

One time I was at a country park as darkness fell while DC scrambled in trees. Turned on & then used my phone (ancient, camera-less) to send DH a text to say we'd be unexpectedly home late for tea. (Painfully slow at sending texts) A man walking by made some brisk comment about people who stare at their phones while surrounded by beautiful countryside that they should interact with instead.

Honestly, sometimes people just see what they expect and secretly want to see.

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Waitingandhoping2015 · 10/11/2015 15:36

DS school has 1hr 20 for lunch, half of which is for food and the other half he does one of the many clubs - table tennis, footy practice, debating and film making this term and on the other day the Astro pitch is full of boys playing footy. I like the way they do it and it's one of the reasons we chose the school.

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