to be so angry at my DC's primary school for wanting to reduce lunchtime to 45 minutes?

[BroomstickRider]

Currently lunchtime is 1 hour, the school want to reduce it to 45 minutes. I am very annoyed about this, but wonder if I am being a little PFB, over the top and unreasonable? Sorry, this is long.
A bit of background: head left after Christmas suddenly due to illness. One of the first things the acting head did (I will call her Govelet for the sake of anonymity) was keep the children in at breaktimes for 3 consecutive days and have them sit in the hall while she lectured them on there being too much bad behaviour in the school and too many detentions given out etc . This may be influencing my opinion of her.
I don't like the 45 min idea and I think my DS in particular will find it hard because he is a slow eater and an anxious child who finds the constant testing stressful and I think he really needs that amount of time at lunchtime to be able to relax and play. There is no afternoon playtime in KS2. I am already upset that an 8 year old child should be so acutely aware of what NC level he is in every subject and that some days he will go to school nearly in tears worrying about whether he will do well enough in a test to level up. He is a bright child and doing well and there is no pressure from me : I have told him I couldn't care less what level he is.
There was a consultation meeting last night about this and another issue. I raised the importance of play and how I believed most children would benefit from an hour at lunchtime. Govelet told me this wasn't true and that she knows of a child who struggles socially and eats his lunch in 10 minutes and then has 50 minutes to get through in the playground. That particular child happens to be the son of the governor she was sat next to, whispering to now and again in the meeting. (I know from a previous conversation with his wife) Another governor claimed that it is proven that shorter lunchtimes improve afternoon learning but when I asked about the studies it turned out to be just his opinion.
Am I being PFB? I have a DD in school too but am less concerned about the effects on her because she finds school easier at the moment. I want to write a letter with references to studies supporting the value of play and another to the SENCO with reference to the value of play on mental health, but should I just let it go? I sort of feel like they've made their decision and wonder if I'm getting a little out of perspective on how terrible it is? Sorry for the essay!

[FiveExclamations]

BroomstickRider How are lunchtimes supervised, I'm a playground supervisor (MSA) so wondering if it's a staffing issue. Do they have different staff to cover it or are Teachers/TAs out there?

The MSA jobs are difficult to recruit for around here, I was one of only two people who applied for mine and until recently was working with a TA as no one applied for the next vacancy.

[FiveExclamations]

Also, though I don't think there is necessarily anything wrong with a shorter break if it allows the children enough time to eat and play, our school has a 1 1/4 hr lunch break without it being an issue.

[BroomstickRider]

Well, I sincerely hope the acting head doesn't get the headship. The old head definitely isn't coming back. But I will accept the collective wisdom of Mumsnet and agree that I have maybe been a bit OTT!

[FiveExclamations]

The "it" I refer to being behaviour.

[Aeroflotgirl]

Your lucky, in the local infants school, lunch time is 30 mins

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

I think it's to short but it's the same at schools where I live. If it's due to bad behaviour then the answer is not to cut the break time, it's proper/more supervision.

[wannabestressfree]

We have 25 mins at the school I teach in and 15 of that I am on duty :/
I think 45 is fine. He should be able to eat/ play/ use the toilet in that time. Try not to worry

[Namechangeforamo]

45mins! Most schools in ni have 30-35 mins tops. An hour is very long

[MoominMammasHandbag]

I remember having an hour and a quarter when I was a kid; it never seemed too long. And I think most kids these days would benefit from more outside play. I always think a lot of bad behaviour can be improved by a bit more exercise, and if there is bad behaviour at lunchtime then they should be sorting out the lunchtime supervision.

[Alibabaandthe40nappies]

DS1s infants has an hour and 15 minutes for lunch.

Do none of your schools have clubs at lunchtimes?

[ReallyTired]

I think your best bet might to persaude senior management to have an afternoon break for infants. Little children need play.

[LittleMissGerardButlersMinion]

Our school cut KS2 lunchtime from an hour to 45 mins so they could have an afternoon play time as they didnt previously.

I presume they haven't done that though.

An hour is a long time though.

[Onesleeptillwembley]

An 8 year old should still have time after eating lunch to play in 45 minutes. The issue you need to be along with is your son.

[Onesleeptillwembley]

Need to be dealing with. Not along with.

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

Government guide lines are an hour's activity a day iirc, so why are they cutting it?

Kids need to let off steam, it aids concentration. If not an hour at lunch then a shorter lunch and a break later on.

They do expect kids to be robots

[Northernlurker]

Is there enough room for all the children to eat at once. Because if not then I don't think 45 minutes IS long enough if the dc have to file in and out of limited space. The lunchbreak is time for play too and you're absolutely right play IS being squeezed out of our schools.

[ouryve]

It largely depends on the school culture, but there often is a problem in schools that lunchtime ends up simply being an hour when kids get wound up and end up in no fit state to learn for the afternoon. I've always thought that's more of a secondary school phenomenon, but I can imagine it happening in a large primary school, particularly if lunchtime supervisors aren't particularly well respected by kids or don't have a good grip on behaviour for some other reason. The lunchtime supervisors at my boys' school are lovely and actually play with the kids, but I've seen ones in some schools who yell an awful lot, which is not great.

So long as slow eaters don't get pushed through too fast, 45 minutes should be fine. If the day is being shortened slightly, then the sooner they're home, the sooner they get to play, again.

[oscarwilde]

Could be worse - the new head could be introducing North Korean school style marching and singing for the 15 mins?

I think it depends on the school in some ways - I had 30 mins as a child but there were no school dinners so everyone ate a packed lunch in 5 and were out the door. If everyone has to queue up to eat then 45 mins would go by in a flash.

Moomin's point about playground supervision is good though.

[BroomstickRider]

oscarwilde yes, I suppose things could be much worse. There is afternoon play for infants but not juniors. I think it is bad in how play is being squeezed out of schools when perhaps now children need it more than ever because so many of them spend lots of time indoors in front of screens instead of outdoors playing as they would in the past.

[BroomstickRider]

The school has midday supervisors rather than using TAs or teachers. I don't really think behaviour is a big issue.

[BroomstickRider]

And the day is being lengthened by starting 15 mins earlier.

[BirdieWhirlie]

Actually, I think they should reinstate the afternoon playtime for juniors. I'd be happy with a 45 minute lunch if they got 15 or 20 minutes later.

[BackforGood]

Glad you have conceded YABU.

45mins break is plenty long enough for most dc (as long as there is time to get everyone through the dinner queue - which is going to depend on the number of children and the way things are organised).

Cutting break from 1hr to 45 mins has really helped a lot of children who struggle with that time in the playground. IME, it's also cut down the number of 'behaviour incidents' that happen at lunchtime.
It's difficult when you are just looking from your dc's pov, but the school have to look at the bigger picture.

Also, the school is under tremendous pressure to evidence all that it is putting in place to change things. Sadly this includes all the dc knowing their targets. Not really down the the school, this is a whole countrywide things, that all schools get pressured into.

[oscarwilde]

So an extra 3 hrs a week tuition then? I wonder if the plan is to keep this up for the kids benefit, do it until the school improves or to give extra days off later in the year....

[MoominMammasHandbag]

At DS's school they get 15 minutes morning and afternoon and an hour at lunchtime. I was just asking him he got enough playtime and he said "Of course not".
DS loves classroom time and learning stuff, but like many 7 year olds, he is like a little dog and needs frequent running around sessions to keep him on an even keel.