Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3 4

Original poster

Would you complain about a 17 minute lunch break at high school?

95 replies

Sallystyle · 07/03/2015 18:27

My two boys aged 11 and 13 attend the same high school. A new head teacher has recently taken over.

They used to get a 20 minute break then a 50 minute lunch break. New head teacher has just announced that she is changing the break to 15 minutes and lunch to 17 minutes. 15 Minutes to get lunch and eat it and go outside for a bit then two minutes to walk back into the next lesson.

The children are obviously outraged and it seems like a few of the parents are too. Would you complain about this or do you think a 17 minute break is long enough? Having spent some time working out the new timetable it looks like she has shortened the lunch break and lengthened the school day to 20 minutes so the children can fit another lesson in.

OP posts:

SomeSortOfDeliciousBiscuit · 07/03/2015 18:29

I struggle as an adult if I only get a twenty minute break for lunch. I would absolutely complain.

AnotherManicMonday · 07/03/2015 18:30

I would complain that's no where near long enough to get to the canteen get lunch eat it go to the loo the n get to class, I no school is for learning but kids need to socialise too

avocadotoast · 07/03/2015 18:30

17 minutes?! How do they expect a school full of kids to all get fed within that time?

Have the school hours changed at all? I know when I was at school our lunch break was shortened but it meant the day was slightly shorter too.

Either way, 17 mins seems like a pisstake. I'd be asking for an explanation.

GokTwo · 07/03/2015 18:31

That is absolutely ridiculous. Please complain. I have enough difficulty encouraging my 12 year old to eat lunch with her busy social life and 40 min lunch break!

NurseRoscoe · 07/03/2015 18:32

YANBU!

How are a whole school of children going to manage to queue and eat their lunch in that time? It's ridiculous. Adults would see it as breaching their human rights if they weren't allowed to eat at any other time of day.

greenfolder · 07/03/2015 18:32

that is madness. how long is the school day?

tippytappywriter · 07/03/2015 18:32

So the teachers will get no break by the time they finish with the kid who has a question at the end of lesson and then get things ready for the next class. Ridiculous!

mrsmilkymoo · 07/03/2015 18:33

Surely children won't be leaning effectively after lunch if they get such a short break? I'd hate that as an adult, there's barely time to do anything. I would complain.

kickassangel · 07/03/2015 18:33

That seems unworkable unless they are going to be staggered Ina very precise schedule. School lunches do an amazing job of serving hundreds of kids in a short period but how they can be expected to do this I'm not sure. Also they'll need about double the toilets in order for kids to be able to use the loo with such a short time gap.

Bet the staff are delighted at the prospect of extra teach g for no pay rise. Is the school short on how many hours it teaches? Are classes over by 2 or something?

Anomaly · 07/03/2015 18:34

Unless the kids take a packed lunch it is unlikely to work. Even in a small secondary school the canteen will struggle with so little time.

5madthings · 07/03/2015 18:35

Bloody hell I thought my kids was bad, they get half an hour but a bell rings 5 mins before end to signal that they nerd to get to next class. So by the time they are let out from lesson before lunch it ends up at more like 20 mins.

Def complain!

netty7070 · 07/03/2015 18:35

Is this even legal? It sounds utterly ridiculous.

Gileswithachainsaw · 07/03/2015 18:36

What happens to the poor sod at the back of the canteen queue?

there's always a teacher Consistently late with letting them out. The " the bell is for me not for you I'm gonna make you sit there longer crew"

what are the class meant to do if they are stuck without time for lunch daily?

liebestraum · 07/03/2015 18:36

YANBU. It's not long enough to have a civilised meal. Socialising is an important part of school life. And it's completely counter-productive in learning terms - they can't continue to take in information non-stop throughout the day.

Original poster

Sallystyle · 07/03/2015 18:37

I just quickly looked on my son's fb and it seems like a lot of parents are going in on Monday to complain so I will join them.

The older ones school day ends at the same time, but the younger ones will finish school 15 minutes later than usual.

I kept hoping it was a mistake on the letter or something but a lot of the students received their new time table through the post this morning and it doesn't look to be like a mistake at all.

OP posts:

AuntieStella · 07/03/2015 18:37

Unless they're staggering the times (eg by year group), I don't see how you can get several hundred people fed in that amount of time. And they must have loos galore if a whole school can use them in 2 minutes.

But even on the assumption that the logistics can be made to work, it also means the end of down time, detention time, clubs/activities time, homework/revision support time, rehearsal time etc.

mumeeee · 07/03/2015 18:38

17 minutes is no way long enough for someone to get lunch and eat it. Some children will end up not having any lunch which won't help in afternoon lessons. So yes complain.

Original poster

Sallystyle · 07/03/2015 18:38

that is madness. how long is the school day?

For the 13 year old 8.35am- 3.40pm

For the 11 year old 8.35- 3.25pm

OP posts:

jeee · 07/03/2015 18:38

A local school has had something similar in place for a few years - they finish very early as a result. I wish my children's schools would follow suit, as it would mean that they would get home at a reasonable hour.

jeee · 07/03/2015 18:40

Sorry - I missed the bit in the OP that said that the day wasn't shorter as a result of this.... ignore my post.

soverylucky · 07/03/2015 18:41

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MrsMaker83 · 07/03/2015 18:42

Thats a piss take!

20 minutes is the minimum allowed for adults working a full day!

Complain

leccybill · 07/03/2015 18:42

It doesn't sound very workable, in reality. I'm assuming an average high school of 1000 pupils?

We have two breaks of 1/2 hour each. Students can eat 'lunch' in either, the same food is served. There are 4 areas from which they can buy food. They pay by prepaid fingerprint, and still it is all very rushed with no real time to socialise.

As a teacher, it's an absolute nightmare. 5 minutes (on a good day) to get rid of stragglers, talk to any unruly pupils, tidy classroom. 5 minutes to go to toilet. Then queue up for microwave/wait for kettle to boil. 10 minutes to throw lunch down your neck. Then have to go and set up for the next lesson.

I'd rather we didn't race through the day at breakneck speed just so we can 'finish' (ie. turf the kids out) at 3 o'clock so we can get on with the real work of marking, data, catering to Ofsted's every whim.

Cadsuane · 07/03/2015 18:43

Young people over school leaving age and under 18 have to have 30 minutes break if they work 4.5 hrs and the teachers will be entitled to 20 so I dont see how 17 can be reasonable for a school.

Littlefish · 07/03/2015 18:44

Terrible for the students.
Terrible for the staff.

Flip

1 2 3 4