To ask if parents support a longer school day?

[namechangingf123]

As Michael Gove is proposing? Would it help you as a working parent?

How long would suit you/your child? And if you didn't agree with longer day (as I don't) would you/could you just pick DC up at 3.15ish as usual?

[ICameOnTheJitney]

Mine would not be staying. I support a SHORTER school day.

[Jinsei]

I work FT but wouldn't support a longer school day, I think it would be too much for the children. A better range of after school clubs would be good though - especially sports activities, as it's clear that lots of kids need more exercise. Our school is actually very good on this, and dd could probably stay at school until 4.20pm every day if she chose to, without extra charge! However, I appreciate that her school isn't the norm.

[Eastpoint]

I think one of the reasons a longer school day is proposed is to reduce the gap between the children whose parents do take their children to swimming, ballet etc and the children whose parents just leave them in front of a tv and don't engage with them.

A friend of mine is a TA at a primary school in a very disadvantaged area and they had to have extended hours for a period of time as the school's renovations were delayed & they needed to make up hours. She said attendance improved and the school decided to keep the extended hours.

[ICameOnTheJitney]

East well that's very kind of the government but what about the parents who spend time with their children? I don't want mine stuffed in school for longer than they already are.

[Gileswithachainsaw]

Absolutely not. Between travel and homework it's a nine hour day as it is. That's more than full time job hours. They have their whole lives as adults to stress and work and be stuck in an office barely seeing daylight in the winter. No way do I want my kids to deal with that. They need time to play it's already a struggle to fit it all in

[manicinsomniac]

Yes, I support it. We do it already. My 10 year old finishes at 4.45 or 5.30 but by time we leave school she has already done her prep and, on 5.30 days, already eaten dinner. So the rest of the evening is free for activities. My 6 year old still finishes at 3.30 but she'll be 4.45 from next year too and that will make everything easier because at the moment she's stuck in after school club waiting for me to finish teaching and go and get her.

[manicinsomniac]

posted too soon.

I don't think it's too much for children because it isn't all academic. In that time frame they get sport every day. They also don't have to do homework.

[ErrolTheDragon]

done her prep and, on 5.30 days, already eaten dinner

that's effectively more like 'after school club' than a longer 'school day' per se though. And yes, having more sport in the day would be good for most schools, but again that could be part of the extension rather than the core.

[OwlinaTree]

Schools as a childcare provision hub yes. We need affordable childcare to enable more people to work. Schools are already set up with the right facilities for children and are safe. They are the obvious place for large scale affordable/free childcare. I could see vast potential in school facilities being used to provide a whole range of activities for children and being open till 6. I'd charge a nominal fee for this (couple of quid) and the government could fund child carers, sports coaches, Brownie leaders, scouts etc to run sessions.

What I would not agree to is making this compulsory or making it lesson based. They've had enough by 330 if you are teaching then properly, especially little ones. Also they need a variety of experiences not just school learning, although this is very important!

[Titsalinabumsquash]

I'm all for longer days but I would like to see, no homework and for secondary school children to be learning a skill, like basic plumbing, mechanics, electrics or something similar. Alongside regular lessons.

I think anything before KS2 is too young for longer days.

Decent breakfast and after school clubs need to be mandatory, the primary my kids go to is excellent except the after school clubs which are dire, they're not consistent, fair or plentiful.

[manicinsomniac]

^^
I suppose it's similar yes. But actual teaching time finishes at 4.45 (that's games in the summer and academic lessons in the winter) so, even though prep etc is built in, they are actually learning in the classroom much later than 3.30. We have built in short prep slots from 2-2.20 and from 4.50-5.20 (changes depending on age but that's my daughter's current times) and do sport from 2.20-3.30 in the Winter so they can easily be doing maths or english in the dark at 4.30. Seems to work.

Sport can only be part of the core in Summer. It's too dark to see the ball after 4.00 in Winter

[manicinsomniac]

sorry, that was to Errol

[Trifle]

I definitely support it. I'm my ds' last school they went 08.30 - 5pm which included an hour of sport a day and competitive matches against other schools every Wednesday afternoon.

A longer day which includes sport would get them ready for the real world where very few jobs are 9-3, an increase in sport would help reduce the vast number of overweight kids, would promote team work and sportsmanship, would alleviate the vast number of children who spend endless hours after school on games consoles and would help working parents.

For me it's a no brainer.

[BrokenSunglasses]

I don't support a longer school day. It's already enough for our children to achieve academically, and they need to have time away from school as well. I'd support schools offering more extra curricular clubs and homework support clubs, but these have to be optional, and teachers should not be forced into running them.

[Gileswithachainsaw]

Yes few jobs are 9-3 but as an adult you cope. Asking reception kids who just turned four and collapse upon pick up to stay longer is a terrible idea. At least at a CM or ASC they can rest a bit or maybe even sleep at the CM. And what use is it for a parent to have one they need to pick up And another one staying? Defeats object surely

[ivykaty44]

my dd2 is in year 10 and is suffering this term from teen tiredness, if the school days were longer then she would suffer and certainly wouldn't be learning in school for the extra time she was there, she went to bed at 8pm on monday.

Added to which spends considerable time doing homework and extra sport out of school (not the type of school offered sport), she has now signed up for DofE, if the school day is longer then she would have to forgo outside activities which are just as important to her all round learning as school work.

If she is tierd she can miss sports one night or so and go the following week, much as she hated doing so last week but school wouldn't allow that.

I think GOVE has to realise there is life outside school

[Xoanon]

I would absolutely not support it. My kids do music dance and drama after school every day of the week. If the school day was extended that would all have to go (and two of them would die. The other one would probably be fine with it). Gove is trying to destroy arts Ed n this country - he's already all but stripped it from schools, now he's trying to stop kids accessing it outside of school. :(

[racmun]

Awful idea. If Gove believes that schools aren't achieving enough in 6 hours then perhaps that is because there are too many children in the class and the teacher can't work miracles.

I can see at GCSE level and above an extra 1/2 hour a day could help. Most private schools finish at at least 4 whereas the state senior schools finish at 3:20, which is pretty early for older teenagers.

[impty]

No.

Currently my teens are at school until 5 or 6 because they got into the school play. They are exhausted! On top of that I always know when half term is coming because again, they are exhausted. They are children, not mini adults.

[Tiredemma]

Id support a 'longer day' if the day was utilised for things like sport, music, drama, etc etc. Not just 'more of the same'

[valiumredhead]

Trifle-why do they have to get ready for the work place when they are children? what about childhood?

[2rebecca]

No, especially not primary school children. If people choose to have children they have to think about how they will look after those children.
The school day should be arranged around what the child needs for learning. Anything extra is childcare and should be sorted out by the parents in a manner that suits the parents. Children shouldn't be imprisoned in schools for longer just to suit businesses.
I agree that putting more teachers in to provide more help for those struggling would be more productive than keeping them in for longer.

[Retroformica]

Looking at it from he kids angle, I agree 6 hours is enough. Kids need to play and spend time with family after 3.15pm. Work/home life balance. To produce well rounded happy children we need to ensure needs are met.

Also Goves proposal is simply a way of trying to get parents working longer hours and therefore giving more money to the state through taxes. It's a money spinner.

[Ragwort]

The child care aspect does not worry me personally as I am a SAHM but what does concern me is that so many children leave school without the basic literacy and numeracy skills; numerous studies tell us that British children lag behind on the education league tables. Employers say that they are having to teach school leavers really basic skills.

I don't know what the answer is, would a longer day help? I would support a longer day if we could raise our education standards.

[ArgyMargy]

My hours at primary school were 9 til 4.15. But we didn't have homework. And we spent a lot of time in the playground. DCs secondary hours were 8.40 to 3.30 but they had a decent lunch hour break. Some schools here keep lunch very short so that they don't have to deal with trouble in the playground. That sucks, IMO.