What age would you expect a child to be able to read an analogue clock these days?

[AFewScrewsLucy]

Recently the Year 11 students in the school I work in had to be provided digital clocks for the exam hall as they couldn't read the analogue ones.

And my 11 yo nephew couldn't tell what time 2:20 was on the clock.

Is this a lost skill?

Don't they learn this in primary school any more? I'd have said around 6/7 on average!!! Pretty shocking that Year 11 kids can't tell the time!

Only a lost skill if not taught by parents. Its part of the maths curriculum, along with digital and 24 hour clocks.

I’m a primary teacher and we absolutely do teach it but it just doesn’t seem to stick. It seems that children don’t really wear watches any more and maybe telling the time is something you only really master when you’re doing it constantly throughout the day.

My 8 year old can tell the time and has been able to all for a while, they definitely still learn in school (we're in Endgland).

Pretty sure DC did it at school this year (year 2). They can definitely read a proper clock.

I'd expect 5-6 year olds to be able to tell the time.

Another teacher. I teach P5 (so 9/10 year olds) and for most it’s like speaking to a brick wall when we teach time. It’s taught every single year at my school from P1 onward in an age appropriate way.

It's because a lot of kids don't have constant access to an analogue clock. If you ask anyone the time these days they check their phone.

Top tip is to switch then phone lock screen dis

We had a long thread on this recently.

They are taught it in primary, however so many live in a digital world that it becomes a 'use or or lose it' skill so by mid teens it is gone for many.

And then there are kids with things like Dyslexia or Dyspraxia. My DD is 18 and completely struggles to tell the time, despite hours of effort on and off the years and analogue clocks liberally scattered around the house. She even struggles with to and past.

Posted too soon....
Switch the phone lock screen to an analogue clock, they learn it pretty fast then

I guess it's like anything else. You can be taught but if you don't use it, it won't stick. We looked at a clock or watch dozens of times a day, they don't need to that now

We have analogue clocks in all of our classrooms and when the year 6s do their SATS we make sure there is one in every room used for them.

My five year old can tell the time, but hes been really interested in learning at home, not covered at school yet.

It's taught it primary.
Most kids then don't use an analogue clock, so loose the skill. Yes, Y11s not being able to read the clock in exam halls is a thing.

We teach it in Primary, yes, but every year it's as if they've never seen an analogue clock in their lives.
In Year 4 (8-9 yrs old) they should know all the minutes to and past and be able to convert to digital and back, as well as understand am/pm/24 hour clock and basic timetables. But it's hard to teach all that when there are a significant number who still struggle with 1/4 to and 1/4 past.
When you bring it up at parents' evenings, they just shrug and say that they don't have analogue clocks at home.

Digital clocks used for GCSE/A level exams in our school

DD2s teacher in Y2 thanked us for teaching her how to tell the time and we looked at each other in surprise because we hadn't taught her, we assume she either taught herself (she's still very good at maths at secondary) or her older sister had. We have analogue clocks all over the house though.

I'm a secondary school languages teacher. When I first started teaching nearli 30 years ago, nearly everyone could use an analogue clock. Now there are quite a few who cannot. Even if they are taught itbin primary school, if it not practised then pupils simply forget.

Naturally schools want to give students the best chance in exams. Most can probably manage with an analogue clock but if digital makes life easier, why wouldn't you?

They’re still taught this in primary school. It’s on the maths curriculum. Both of mine could confidently tell the time at 6.

I could read a watch with roman numerals at 7, but with dc it doesn’t seem to stick. We have so many appliances with digital time I think that comes naturally to them now.

I suppose a digital clock is easier to read and focus on in highly stressful situations like an exam and less likely that mistakes are made when glancing up at them

About age 5-7 - they learn it in maths in years one and two but possibly if they don't practice it the knowledge doesn't stick?

My 7yo can read it fine but we have analogue clocks and watches at home.

Schools teach it but if families don’t use analogue watches and don’t have an analogue clock, it isn’t necessarily something they use or refer to, so some children find it hard to crack.

My ten year old can. It was covered in school about two tears ago and he definitely struggled. It has stuck now though.