To think this is a strange set up/policy?

[Newtothesystem]

So I moved to Ireland late last year with my dh (Irish but grew up in uk) and two DD’s age 12 and 9
DD12 is in 6th class (final year of primary school) and informed me yesterday after starting back from the holidays that her 6th class are the “minders” this term. When I asked what that meant she informed me that they are split into twos and they go to mind the younger classes whilst they eat their break and lunch! I asked where the teacher was and she said oh she goes on break but there is a teacher in the corridor who “sticks her head in every so often” now I asked around and this seems to be the done thing! AIBU to think that they shouldn’t be leaving a class of 4yr olds being minded by an 11/12 yr old whilst they eat!!??

@BottleOfJameson well I’m assuming everything is cut up as they only have packed lunches here (no such thing as hot dinners here, which bugs me a bit too but hey ho!!)

It’s pretty common, we called it monitors, my DD14 has done it at primary and also one to one buddy system.
11/12 years are capable of supervising younger kids at lunch, calm down all the Karens 🙄🙄

But why should they supervise younger ones? When do they get a break. If it’s not hard or they’re still getting a break then the teachers can do it.

Halterneck at my school in England, I'm 30 this year so was practice 18 years ago.

They supervise on wet play (small break) and then when they eat their lunch every day. They eat for 10ish mins and play for 20 mins, the 6th class supervise when they eat and then get them to tidy and put coats on to go out!

We did that at school and my DD’s school (same one) still does.

It's easier to supervise when they're out in the playground than when they're distributed between different classrooms on a wet day. Having some older pupils in with the little ones makes it rather easier to ensure they're all adequately supervised. If the whole of that year 6 are in the KS2 classrooms, that's one fewer room to supervise. Someone might be standing in the doorway between two classrooms to supervise both at once: that's going to be much easier if there are older pupils keeping the little ones occupied by reading stories or helping them play. Or there might be an adult in a classroom who is really there to prepare stuff for the afternoon or supervise a pupil with additional needs; that means there's an adult who can step in if needed, but the older pupils can make it much more likely that they can do what they're supposed to be doing.

@lanthanum no...she said the teachers come back after the bell rings. They had no playtime today as it was raining all day...fair enough. It’s just a completely different system here. I rang the school once at 3.40 and I got the answer machine!! Rang 3 times! They finish for the day at 2.20!!

This is clearly an issue with your school, if you aren't happy, have it raised at the board of management meeting, a new policy will be drafted if it's a risk.

And hot dinners have never been provided here. Some secondary schools provide subsidised hot food but that's it. Unless it's in a deis area, where they would have lunches provided.

It is a completely different system here. Why would you be surprised by that? Did you expect to come to a different country and for things to be exactly as you expect?

The secretaries would have gone home when you rang. The principal would have been there working, maybe a teacher or 2 but would prob not answer the phone unless they were expecting a call.

When I was in Jr 4 at primary, we were given various "monitor" tasks on rotation in our small village school. This included wet play supervision, being in charge of the record player for school assembly, serving at school lunch - much coveted as you could pick the best stuff on the table - and washing the pots in the staff room after break - not much liked as it was always smoky and the mugs had lippie all over.

Yep I from Northern Ireland and we were called prefects in final year at primary, we even got a wee badge to wear, you felt very grown up. It’s very normal, I don’t know if any schools from my area in NI (living in London now though loads of friends and family still their) that don’t do it.