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Original poster

Child's school still not open full time

51 replies

NoNameNoOne · 17/06/2021 21:07

Hi All.
Just wanting to gauge an idea of if this is normal.
Dd primary school only opening half day on Weds and slightly shorter hours the other days with no plans to "make up" lost hours in the future at all.
They say the half day is necessary for additional cleaning and to ensure the teachers receive their statutory planning and break times.
They have advise ASC is available £5ph to parents in need of childcare but ASC is obviously not a teaching environment and is mainly playground play.
Are you all experiencing the same or back to pre-lockdown timetable?
Thanks for taking the time to respond.

OP posts:
TheTempest · 17/06/2021 21:08

We’ve been back to normal for months! Seems a bit daft to me really

KibeththeWalker · 17/06/2021 21:12

Totally against the guidance!

LillyBugg · 17/06/2021 21:13

This sounds bizarre. We've been back at normal hours since last September.

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General education
GiantToadstool · 17/06/2021 21:13

Wow. Ours did the opposite with an extended day to make up for lost time...!

idontlikealdi · 17/06/2021 21:14

Well where are you?

We have been back to normal for months.

TwoZeroTwoZero · 17/06/2021 21:16

None of the schools I've been to recently have been doing this; if anything they've been increasing learning time rather than reducing it.

drspouse · 17/06/2021 21:16

My DS school is closing 15 mins early every day except Friday and it's 1.30 that day, for the same reasons, except they have no ASC and he goes to a CM but we have to transfer him, he doesn't go on a Friday as I don't work that afternoon.
It's a small PRU but there is no sign of them going back to normal hours and it's a big pain, especially on a Friday.

delilahbucket · 17/06/2021 21:16

A lot of schools local to me are not on normal hours. The staggered starts really impact some of the year groups. Year 8's at the nearest secondary are on 9:30-3 four days a week and 9:30-2:30 one day. They must be so far behind missing the equivalent of five lessons a week. They are the year group that has suffered the most at that school. My son was going to go to that school and I'm so glad we chose another because he's had normal hours throughout and when they've been talking about GCSEs at his parents evening this week, it is paying off having a normal timetable of education.

Original poster
NoNameNoOne · 17/06/2021 21:16

London

OP posts:
Doyoumind · 17/06/2021 21:18

Not come across anything like this. Where is this school?

Biscuitandacuppa · 17/06/2021 21:20

Nope, back to full time hours but with staggered starts and finish times. Means my dd starts and finishes slightly later but she does the full hours.

trilbydoll · 17/06/2021 21:21

We've got staggered start and end times but I don't think the day is any shorter. Maybe 5 minutes a day for some year groups.

Biscuitandacuppa · 17/06/2021 21:21

Oh and I work in a secondary school, normal start and finish times and extra staff in for cleaning until 6.30 every evening. Kids are expected to clean down their desks at the end of a lesson.

Your school is taking the piss I think.

weirdphobia · 17/06/2021 21:21

I would be livid.

MadMadMadamMim · 17/06/2021 21:22

Not come across this at all. Every school in our area is open full time to all year groups and has been apart from the lockdowns when they were forced to close.

Even then they were always open for key worker and vulnerable children.

Deadleaf29 · 17/06/2021 21:22

We have slightly altered drop/collect times by 10 minutes morning/afternoon to allow for a staggering of parents on the playground but same number of hours total and otherwise normal.

But a four and a half day week is actually a permanent (and pre covid) thing at a couple of schools I know - all teachers have their ppa time then, saves a lot of money on cover. I can’t remember how they swing it, but apparently it’s entirely legal and the council has no problem with it.

drspouse · 17/06/2021 21:26

At DS school they have less time for lunch (so teachers and TAs can cover that and then have PPA on a Friday).

Original poster
NoNameNoOne · 17/06/2021 21:27

@Deadleaf29

We have slightly altered drop/collect times by 10 minutes morning/afternoon to allow for a staggering of parents on the playground but same number of hours total and otherwise normal.

But a four and a half day week is actually a permanent (and pre covid) thing at a couple of schools I know - all teachers have their ppa time then, saves a lot of money on cover. I can’t remember how they swing it, but apparently it’s entirely legal and the council has no problem with it.

We only joined this school this year (in juniors not infants) a Mum has indicated that she thought Covid was being cited as the cause when in fact it was cost cutting. I would paste the correspondence from the school but it would be very outing. I can't understand personally how the mixed year ASC is less of a problem than the current year group bubble situation.
OP posts:
UncomfortableSilence · 17/06/2021 21:28

Yep DD2s primary 15 minutes off each day and lunch finish on a Friday for PPA. DD1s secondary just did staggered starts but no loss of learning time.

School I work at has also reduced hours and yes it's completely against guidance, staggered starts are allowed but no loss of time.

Mumdiva99 · 17/06/2021 21:32

Are you sure the half day is due to covid and not a measure the school introduced themselves separate to covid to save money? It was a 'thing' gaining momentum a few years ago, however, I thought it was being phased out. www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-48770759

Sweak · 17/06/2021 21:33

I would not be happy about this at all (I say that as a qualified teacher myself).

I have heard of primaries doing this pre covid to cost cut for PPA time.

What's their plan for the next academic year? Is this continuing?

Deadleaf29 · 17/06/2021 21:35

“ We only joined this school this year (in juniors not infants) a Mum has indicated that she thought Covid was being cited as the cause when in fact it was cost cutting.”

Could well be. School funding is absolutely dire. Has to be said though, actually most of the parents I know at those schools were quite happy with the arrangements (not that I’ve seen them since covid) - child still gets same number of hours of learning (they squeeze playtime etc on the other days) and there’s care available on the Friday afternoon. Lots of them work part time though anyway and used it to go away for weekends! But it obviously wouldn’t suit everyone.

cheeseismydownfall · 17/06/2021 21:38

DD and DS"s primary school is still finishing two hours earlier on Fridays.

It is a fantastic school with amazing leadership who went above and beyond during lockdown, and so if they judge that this is the best way of managing things then I fully trust them. They provide free after school care for the two hours on Friday but only for those parents who really do need it.

Sweak · 17/06/2021 21:41

child still gets same number of hours of learning (they squeeze playtime etc on the other days) and there’s care available on the Friday afternoon

Im surprised parents were ok with this. Squeezing playtime for primary aged children is not ok in my view.

Really shows schools need better funding.

parietal · 17/06/2021 21:41

additional cleaning is a waste of time. covid is airborne and cleaning surfaces makes very little difference.

I would definitely not be happy with shorter school days when children have so much to catch up on.