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AIBU?

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Original poster

Teacher lunch hour!

366 replies

everychildmatters · 10/10/2025 00:10

First off, I am glad I left primary teaching last year after 20 years in; things are only getting worse. I feel for the colleagues I left behind.
It is now becoming a common expectation that, for many different reasons, teachers are now being expected to supervise children over the lunch hour.
I used to avoid this by taking the time to which I was entitled but in order to do this I had to physically leave the building - go for a walk etc. In reality of course this was only for about half an hour or so as I wanted to be back in time to prepare my afternoon lessons.
AIBU to think teachers should be entitled to a lunch break?!!

OP posts:
TeacherTales · 10/10/2025 07:11

Pricelessadvice · 10/10/2025 07:00

We had to do a break and lunch duty and run 2 clubs a week during lunchtime…
yeh, no lunch for us.

If schools expect this, it should be taken into account when calculating directed hours.

LividArse · 10/10/2025 07:01

Our “hour” is 35 minutes.

Fridgetapas · 10/10/2025 07:01

Are you sure you’re entitled to a full hour? Many contracts just say a reasonable lunch break which could mean 30mins/45mins and some schools ask teachers to supervise children as part of their lunch time because of this.

Pricelessadvice · 10/10/2025 07:00

We had to do a break and lunch duty and run 2 clubs a week during lunchtime…
yeh, no lunch for us.

BCBird · 10/10/2025 06:58

As an ex teacher of 30 plus years i hear u. I now have an office job- 30m break. I walk for 30m- it great

tequilam0ckingbird · 10/10/2025 06:51

BluntPlumHam · 10/10/2025 00:12

Who is supposed to supervise children? I recall there always being a teacher present. Usually they would take it in turns like some rota.

There's a rota first thing for the school gates and a rota at break times but at lunch the playtime supervisors (dinner ladies) watch the children.
In some schools teachers run lunch clubs (voluntarily).

Octoberaddsagale · 10/10/2025 00:44

Weren’t there strikes about this in the 1980s? For a while when DS1 was first at school I had to bring him home for lunch and take him back afterwards. This meant four round trips in about six hours, which wasn’t easy with newborn DS2. It wasn’t a settling-in thing.

A neighbour/friend who worked at a secondary school used to go home at lunchtime, bringing several colleagues with him as they also wanted to leave the site.

I can’t find any reference to exactly this online, so maybe I’m misremembering. Or, perhaps it was a local thing.

Original poster
everychildmatters · 10/10/2025 00:27

@TeacherTales I suppose that makes more sense if they are non-teachimg so can be flexible with when they take their lunch break.

OP posts:
TeacherTales · 10/10/2025 00:26

At my school, the HT and DHT do it on rotation.

Original poster
everychildmatters · 10/10/2025 00:25

@abathofmilkwithladydi Lunchtime supervisors should be supervising. All teachers should be entitled to their (unpaid) lunch break. I'm assuming you get a lunch break if you work?
Employers should absolutely stop asking this of teachers.

OP posts:
abathofmilkwithladydi · 10/10/2025 00:22

@everychildmatters I'm sure @BluntPlumHam doesn't personally expect you to supervise children in your unpaid time.

Your employers do, however. That's who this should be taken up with. My child's school have a team of lunchtime supervisors and the teachers cover the playground on a rota. It's not ideal but it works. I'm not sure what the answer is, unless we just leave kids outside knocking around together without an adult.

What's your solution, @everychildmatters ?

Original poster
everychildmatters · 10/10/2025 00:21

@TeacherTales It is so unfair! I'm a tutor now and once I have travelled to the home of my next student in my lunch break I really feel fortunate to have that 40 mins or in the middle of the day that I never got in teaching.

OP posts:
Original poster
everychildmatters · 10/10/2025 00:18

@BluntPlumHam So you do expect teachers to give up their unpaid lunch hour to supervise kids? Which also means in reality not having a break away from the classroom from when they get in until when the children are dismissed? For me that was 8 - 3.30 (but obviously didn't leave school until much later). I don't suppose they have a right to go to the toilet either?
To answer your question: lunch time supervisors.

OP posts:
TeacherTales · 10/10/2025 00:17

Haggisfish3 · 10/10/2025 00:12

Teachers still aren’t paid for lunch time. It’s not part of their directed hours. So, in theory, none of them should be doing anything in that time unless they are paid extra. Anyone who knows anything about teachers knows that is absolutely not what happens in any school, anywhere. Sigh. Yanbu at all.

This.

Lunch time is unpaid. Therefore, we can't be directed to work during that time.

I mean, we do - in reality, my actual 'break' is around 15 mins, but we can't be directed to. It's not part of directed time.

Haggisfish3 · 10/10/2025 00:12

Teachers still aren’t paid for lunch time. It’s not part of their directed hours. So, in theory, none of them should be doing anything in that time unless they are paid extra. Anyone who knows anything about teachers knows that is absolutely not what happens in any school, anywhere. Sigh. Yanbu at all.

BluntPlumHam · 10/10/2025 00:12

Who is supposed to supervise children? I recall there always being a teacher present. Usually they would take it in turns like some rota.