To be fed up of having 5 minutes of my lunch lost every day?

[Chickenavocadobacon]

This isn’t a massive big deal or anything but I’m wondering if others think it’s worth raising.

I’m a teacher in a secondary school. We have 30 minutes for lunch.

The duty staff start rounding the kids up quite early and sending them in - so those of us who teach on the ground floor have kids coming in early. I had kids at my door today at 1:52 (lesson starts at 2.)

I know I could make them wait outside but that is noisy and disruptive and they just keep asking when they can come in so not exactly relaxing.

AIBU to be a bit fed up? We have hardly any time for lunch as it is.

Why don't you ask the staff to send them in at 2? 20 minutes is no lunch at all and the children are being short changed too.

You need need to go to the loo and return at 1.58 pm.

Just shut the door and don’t let them in!

You’re probably right, @ItsDinah!

It’s not that simple, @PotteringAlong - there’s a glass panel in the door so they can all see me and just knock endlessly and poke their heads around - ‘can we come in yet?’

It’s really irritating that they come in so early.

You need to get them to stop sending them in early

That would need raising as a whole school point although I think they’d just say it was to get them all in on time!

Who manages the duty staff? They need to be told that they stay with and supervise the kids for the full duration.

Well you either say something or you don’t… it’s not going to miraculously stop if you don’t raise it.
Not fair on either you or the kids having your lunch breaks cut short.

Raise it with slt/ your subject leader/someone in charge of lunch supervision. That would annoy me and I’d also think the kids are more likely to be unsettled coming in and behaviour problems might develop with them all waiting together in a cramped space. Use that argument if you need to.

@Chickenavocadobacon

That would need raising as a whole school point although I think they’d just say it was to get them all in on time!

But it's cutting both the teachers lunches and the children's lunches short.

If it's not addressed then it's not fixed

I know @ShallWeTalkAboutBruno but I’m fairly sure we will just be told to make them wait. The problem is it is a big school so for students on the other side of the building I guess they do need that time. Just a pain for those of us right next to the playground!

Maybe the duty staff should call for those on the upper floors net lesson to enter first and the ground floor classes line up on the yard.

Can you lock the door and put a poster on the window?

I’d probably agree a time 1.58 for example and open door yourself if you can. But that might not fit with your set up. Open and closed sign perhaps? Maybe it’s because the staff are cold? It’s not on anyway, they maybe won’t be so quick in July ;)

This is happening in my school too, it's very irritating. Our problem is we don't employ lunchtime staff, duties are covered by teachers and LSAs, teaching staff have to get to their classrooms ready to teach so the whistle is blown early. Poor kids have 20 minutes to use the toilet, queue for lunch and eat

@YeOldePotato

Can you lock the door and put a poster on the window?

glass doors are standard for safeguarding reasons, you can't cover the window.

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz

Maybe the duty staff should call for those on the upper floors net lesson to enter first and the ground floor classes line up on the yard.

Yeah this. Although it's really shit for the kids too. A third of their tiny dinner break is being taken off them. I'm surprised they even get time to queue for food, eat, go to the toilet, never mind actually spend time outside!

@Chickenavocadobacon I’m a secondary school teacher. It really is that simple!

Time how long it takes to walk to furthest point to support your argument.

Or maybe I’m just mean and miserable

Block the window with paper so they cant see in. Put a note up on the outside with the time they can come in. If you want to be sneaky, put a problem of the day on the outside of the door and whoever comes into the room at 2pm exactly with the correct answer gets a 1 day homework extension to be used when they want (expires at the end of term/month/whatever). Anyone coming in before 2 pm with the correct answer does not get the prize.

Just saw you can cover the door, so just post the problem then.

As it will be the same sets of students after lunch for the week (unless you work on an alternating 2 week timetable) tell each set of them what time they will be let in and any poking their heads round the door will be met with verbal warnings and recorded in their planners.

Block the door glass for your lunch. I volunteer in a primary, we have a roll of paper ready to go on the back of the door for any whole school lock downs.

I don’t think you’re mean and miserable at all @PotteringAlong but my point is I want to enjoy my lunch ‘half hour’ which with the best will in the world I can’t with kids shouting outside my room.