Change to timing of school day - anyone experienced this?

I would get some legal advice (perhaps parents could club together to pay for this?) to find out whether the school can, legally, keep your children after the end of formal lessons. If they can't, then you present that info to the school and your children simply leave at the normal time each day.

Yes - a longer school day is not good news for teachers. However, it's not just teachers who can supervise HW periods at the end of the school day. Schools could use homework monitors from local universities for example, and give FT teachers more free periods during the day.

Sorry - haven't read whole thread, and you don't say in your OP why the school has decided to lengthen the school day. But if it was in special measures, maybe the extra time is needed in order to improve the quality of the children's education?

What I mean is that homework to be done at home can be very unfair to kids whose parents work shifts, or don't have time to help them; or children who don't have anywhere to work at home, or whose parents aren't educated themselves or who don't speak English, etc etc. If the school is trying to raise standards in the wake of a bad inspection result, lengthening the school day is an obvious way to do it.

Plus I suppose it might help families where both parents work full time - but that is only incidental.

I think families where one parent has time and enthusiasm and the ability to help their kids at home are very privileged. I don't begrudge it - I celebrate it! - but other less fortunate families could do with some help.

Finishing school at 3 or 3.30 is selling kids short, imo. In other European countries (France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Poland - don't know for sure about any others) the school day finishes at 5 or 6, especially at high school. The short school day in the UK might even have something to do with our bad performance in international standard tests, eg PISA.

I have lots of friends who are teachers and not one of them thinks it's a good idea, my concern is fir my children but I will also be asking when the teachers are to have meetings, do marking and planning etc, it's not good, not ggood at all but I fear there is nothing we can do :(

I'm a teacher, and I think this is terrible.

Our school is currently open 7am-7pm. After lessons there are staff meetings, detentions, planning meetings for school trips, extra help for students who are struggling in course work, reruns of missed practicals, etc.

If teachers do not finish compulsory enrichment until 5pm, when will they run detentions? Are miscreants going to be kept in school until 6? Or are we to lose the only disciplinary tool we have?

When will we see individuals who need extra help? keep in mind that we can not see students alone, so in order to help one student catch up with course work or practicals, two or more will have to agree to stay on after the 5 O'clock enrichment.

Suppose we are doing enrichment, detentions, catch ups etc until 6 or 6.30, will our meetings start at 6.30?

When will we make our phone calls home, put up displays, set up class rooms, do our photocopying, or any of the other thousands of little jobs we have to do on site?

I don't think we would be setting of home until 8.30 or later. Who will be caring for our children in the mean time? What about the premises staff, who clean and lock up after we have gone, what time will they finish? 9.30? 10? Who will be caring for their children? When will they see their families?

The idea that any one anywhere in the country is setting this precedent fills me with dread.

Please, I beg you, for the sake of education across the whole country, don't let the do this anywhere!

How did I guess Yup LOSER! Oh well - you might get somebody better. It's only a year.

Yes lib dem!

3 in 4 is a lot. I think that would be a STRONG factor for you to argue with. You can say 'now look I know you've got parents like that pita Mrs Maturin but we're not like that and this is why...'
Shame about the MP. Lib dem?

Our mp is crap and likely to be voted out next election!

But yes I am going to speak to them 're dps shifts and see if we can reach a compromise, dp works three weekends out of four.

The boys would like to go to some if the activities offered, ds2 would like some of the sport and they would both like computer and chess club, but not two hours, an hour of which is some swanky enrichment activity or homework.

I am frequently 'that' parent

Here's a thought - the weeks that DP is working weekends inform school that the children need to leave 'early' - at the usual time - because of family commitments.

What's your MP like?

Compulsory because they can.. They say 'some studies shoe it increases sociability, confidence and peer relationships and makes good relationships between pupils and teacher's

Nothing about educational outcomes. I am asking for the studies they use to justify it and will provide links to those that show diff outcomes, I shall be 'that' parent.. Ho hum.

The thing is dps shifts already mean he goes days without seeing the children, so I know hours 'done' doesn't make a good parent, but in a family where we already struggle to juggle his wiring hours with having a family life this will impact on it further.

Anyway we are busy making an Oscar the grouch cake for dps bday tomorrow, and am at critical point so best go concentrate..

Well as I'm sure you would agree parenting is about more than simple hours on the shop floor of the home. Time served does not equate to good parenting anymore than time absent means you are making a pigs ear of it. My concern on this thread has been to assure you that the changes you anticipate are not automatically a disaster for your family relationships.

Anyway - what is the reason given for making this compulsory?

Bloody fat fingers and idiotic phone.

School is not childcare. The only way a school shoulde be able to justify longer hours is if they can prove it will be of benefit to the wellbeing and education of the pupilsw. This clearly doesn't as it is limiting their time with fanilyy, limiting time for pursuing other interests, limiting whatw clubs and groups they can attend and forcing basically an adult working day on them.

Increasing hours ago in compulsory education should be done because adults have to go to work.

The trust is funding it just not paying the teachers any more... Our llovely sponsor has secured the funding..

And yrs your last reply was actually polite,thanks for that. No I am not currently home schooling little ones, ds3 and ds4 are happy at school, if that changes we will reases, I don't want a later start to the day (they wouldn't sleep in anyway) though the lazy holiday mornings are nice it doesn't work in practise with activities, dark evenings etc.

Surely if your husband works away you appreciate the importance of children spending time with their father? I grew up with a Dad that was away a lot, it is not what I want for my kids, dp is s hands on involved parents (including the shitty and mundane and housework). We want that to continue, it's already a tricky balancing act because of dps job (sadly he can't change careers and if he did it would be a big loss for the kids in the care system he works with as he is bloody good at his job).

It's not unreasonable to think they could offer the after school stuff but not make it compulsory, like they do anyway currently with various clubs and like the majority of schools do. There is no good reason to make it compulsory.

I would not want my DD doing a longer school day. I do not need childcare, nor do I want it. It most certainly shouldn't be imposed on everyone regardless of whether they want it or not.

Yes, schools staying open longer and/or better childcare facilities outside of school hours for those who need it is desirable - ideally run by qualified childcare staff rather than teachers, or by qualified sports/music/other enrichment activities even better - and at a reasonable price.

But a=many children have other outside activities to take part in and I believe it is better for children to be able to do that. I like that DD does drama away from school - mixing with different children to those inside her own school for a bit, widening her social circle, etc.

I want DD to have daylight time to come home and relax with friends, maybe go out for a bit - and when come back later for homework and dinner.

Enforced longer days should not be the answer.

Well something has to change somewhere because globally longer school days and longer school years are hot topics and if you have young children now this is something that I think will come up again and again.

Out of interest what is more acceptable to people longer days or longer school years - so less holiday. I think I'd go for longer days in secondary and longer years in primary - now that really would be chaos for families!

"I suspect this arrangement will suit the majority."

er, it won't. I know the schools situation where 5mT is and plenty of other parents are unhappy about the changes. Like I said on another thread, there's a big rural catchment: rural villages with no street lights or even pavement for walk between bus drop & home. There are safety issues with the late days, too.

x posted (and there I was being all helpful). No I'm not ignoring the time for teachers planning - that's covered by a question of how the school affords this.

My children are of an age where I don't need the school for childcare actually and my partner works away a lot so sorry no, family 1950s ideal here. We still make it work and so can you.

'this is not what we signed up for when we chose the School' - that's exactly the problem with the development of academies. What was certain becomes very uncertain all of a sudden. I agree that's a big concern. Thank you for explaining that part time working had been refised. That is frustrating because it would resolve a lot of your concerns.

I don't suppose he fancies changing careers?

( Joke, joke! I know that's not feasible)

This is an interesting read and perhaps offers some cause for optimism in your situation - can the school actually afford this?
I reckon this is something many parents will need to think about tbh so it is good to consider how you can make it work FOR you and your children if possible. Are you home schooling the little ones? This is a bit off the wall but if you are, could you change the timing of the day so that they can get up later and therefore go to bed later? That will only work if they sleep soundly in the morning though when the older ones are getting up.

And you have conveniently ignored the issue of more work for the teachers 're planning and running these clubs, the loss of time for all their normal planning and marking and the lack of extra pay, but yes let's just shaft the teachers because it suits some parents.

So if you get home at 6pm and your kids go to bed at what 8-9pm you see them three hours a day, I am guessing you get weekends, which my partner does not and even if he did work part time (which he can't) he would still have to work weekend's so it wouldn't actually resolve the issue. But hey you live in your dream world of 9-5 jobs, parents home every evening and weekend and school fitting in nicely to this and providing free childcare for you. Bugger anyone else if it works for you.

My dp can't go part time, if he could he would have done. He works in child protection actually so I know all about kids that need extra support, as does he. The studies show that for those children a system of longer days actually doesn't improve outcomes. They need help and support, as do their families, longer school days don't address the problems they have, it's merely a way of trying yo plaster over the cracks and it doesn't actually help.

Yes many countries have a longer school day and more pressure, they also have higher rates of teen suicide.

There is no reason why it should be compulsory and it us and can be, if you read the link I posted earlier it addresses this issue ad Gove abolished the statutory schooling hours and in academies parents and pupils have few legal rights or ways of addressing any problems.

We have and are challenging it, the inspiration trust who run the academy have form for just dismissing parents concerns.

And it's not as simple as just moving schools, other local schools are becoming academies, one School we took ds1 out of due to bullying and parents who still have kids there have growing concerns. The other option is a Catholic school, we aren't Catholic and wouldn't get a place. I wouldn't move a child in yr10 and doing their gcses.

Ds2 is settled and enjoying school, it has a good pastoral support team (though how long for is anyone's guess) there is lots I am happy with at the school. I will change schools if necessary though am not sure where to.

It's about choice and flexibility, parents shouldn't feel railroaded into having to conform to the system, esp not when they change the goalposts so dramatically, this is not what we signed up for when we chose the School.

Where have I said being a sahp is undesirable? 5madthings is complaining that this change will impact on her family life. I suggested that she could make other changes to that family life to mitigate this change (or challenge it or move school). If anybody is judging other people's choices then it would be her with the remark that 'Getting home at 6pm is not conducive to family life' - which is of course absurd as that is exactly how many families successfully manage their lives.

Many countries that have longer school hours have higher suicide rates in under sixteens