To think a 3:20 finish is absurd?

Extending lessons until after 3.20 would be too tiring for DC.
They are learning new things which takes more out of you than just doing something you already know back to front.
Teachers need time to mark. And prep.
Private schools offer wraparound ie breakfast club then after school prep /homework club and after school activities, not formal lessons. You will be paying for that as part of their service.
Some state schools, but not all, offer wraparound care in form of breakfast or after school clubs or you can get a child minder or you and DH could ask to adjust working patterns.
imo a working day is too long for DC especially when they are in primary and it's often longer than parents are at work due to travel time between school and work DC need time to relax and switch off.
And school is for education not childcare.
But yes it is very hard juggling it all as a working parent, especially if you have no family support

The teachers don't finish work at 1.30 on a Friday. They will use that time for planning, resourcing, marking, assessment, meetings with other staff, phone calls and emails to parents and outside agencies, filling in pointless forms, attending training sessions, putting up displays, etc etc etc. And actually half a day a week is absolutely no where near enough time to do all that which is why teachers are routinely working 60 hour weeks. And leaving the profession.

Are you seriously so unbelievably stupid that you think they're going home to chill for the afternoon?

I think there's a strong argument for secondary schools to start at 10. Teens legitimately need more sleep, and there could be clubs/voluntary study groups beforehand.

I’m assuming that the school is giving all their teachers PPA every Friday afternoon - it’s a way of saving money on site staff/heating etc as the building will close. (DH used to teach in school that did this).

There's a very easy solution to this OP. Simply send your precious darlings to the perfect private schools you seem to know so much about. Easy peasy! Or if you're stuck with the reality of state school days then suck it up buttercup. But I suspect you've posted this to either troll or moan, perhaps a little of both 🥱 Hope your Christmas time picks up so you can find something more interesting to do with your evening.

This.

School here is roughly 7.45am-11.45/12-15. That’s it’s for the day. They have lunch at home.
We also have 10 weeks summer holidays, plus all the other holidays. Some months there’s like 3 bank holidays in a month, so it’s basically a 4 day week also.

My kids primary is a fair mix of mums, dad's and childcare (childminders or the local Nursery)

I don't know, I didn't organise it. Ask them.

@Itsr private schools manage by having the
Co-curricular activities start around that time - in effect a pimped up after school club that all children get (for some this is compulsory for others optional). Teachers finish classes st the same time so have the same time to complete their work (primary school teachers often don’t leave until that time)

private schools also have a built in expectation that their are two working parents for a lot of their pupils so adapting the day around this by including wraparound care in their prices reflects that

but the school day is a long one for children they do not need longer days

Sorry but it's not schools' fault if you have children with a man who won't share 'taking the hit'.

All my children were privately educated. School started at 8.30am, finished at 4pm, then there were activities which weren't paid for unless they had tea which you did pay for. I think last pick up was about 6pm but noone ever stayed that long. But, incredibly long school holidays. Three half terms of a week, a month at Xmas and Easter and about eight weeks in the summer. So it was probably no different to state school but just more squashed into a shorter time frame.

DD has just quit teaching in her probationary year because of severe anxiety. She was on a 0.8 timetable and was putting in 50+ hours a week with a full day a week with no classes for prep.
Teachers are completely burned out dealing with the current contact hours. There is no way that teacher recruitment (which is currently dire) will improve if teachers are expected to cover longer hours. A friend retrained as a primary teacher in her 40s and was regularly working until midnight to prepare lessons; she had to give up all her volunteering and hobbies.

Lived with one for 3 years. What an insufferable c*.

You'd think it was the worst job in the world.

Yes and entirely optional.

The teachers aren't finishing at 1.30.
The children are.

There is a massive disconnect between school hours and the expected working day. It's quite a chasm really and I don't have the solution. The teachers and dc are 'done in' by 3.30 (or 3.20) for the face-to-face education part and most workplaces need the parents starting by 9am latest.

Ideally it would be great if most 2-parent households could pay their bills with a 50 hour work week between them. Obviously harder for a single parent, but then it often is.

Maybe we should be asking why the working day is 9-5? Most inconvenient.

My personal pet peeve is why my local libraries are only open Saturday morning, I'd love to use them on weekends.

My goodness ! because it's education for children ! not full time fucking childcare. Nor is it work !

btw think yourself lucky it's 3.20pm, our local school is 2.55pm with a 8.40am start

That's really uncalled for and I doubt you actually believe it. Give them a break.

Apart from all the things that have been said, where exactly do you think the extra funding is going to come from? Schools struggle for money as it is, buildings are falling down, do you want us all to increase our taxes to pay for your children to stay at school for free?