To think the school shouldn’t have to close for the afternoon

[Autumncold]

Open evening 5-7, school closes at 12. So students miss two lessons. How would you feel about this?

I reckon this is a reverse and the OP is not thinking this at all.

It's such a long day, not even just to tidy up the classrooms, set up activities etc but also to have a late snack, and prepare lessons for next day. Our open evening used to be 4-8 and by the time I finished and moved the resources/chairs out of the way I would be able to plan lessons/reply to emails after so I had to do that before the open evening.

If you saw how much work we had tk do to get ready you would understand

I have never known this at my DCs school and their open evening starts at 4. I don't know how they prepare for it but they do and year 11's have lessons until 4. I think I would be annoyed if lessons were cancelled.

Poor buggers at my kids school do it on a Saturday. Was great as a working parent but not convinced the teachers got the time back

So you're never around when the kids first start arriving at about 7.05am, get breakfast at 7.30, then have intervention/clubs/music lessons/sports until registration, buggers off at 3pm before rolling back in at 4.55pm to see what everybody else has done to set up, then tootles off at 7pm, leaving everybody else to clear the site and tidy up for the next day until about 9.30pm?

I can see why you're feeling like you aren't doing enough. Perhaps you could stay and actually do some of it, seeing as it's getting applications as a result of those open evenings that pays your salary - undersubscribed school = less money = troubles for staff.

Our school has an inset day after open evening. We do have a day and a half of home schooling in a few weeks for tutor parents day/evening but dc will be set work on Google classroom. They did this pre pandemic.

Open evenings are usually planned and scheduled for a certain date before the beginning of the next academic year.

For example, at my DDs school, they gave us a copy of the school calendar for this school year as far in advance as March of this year and it says when her school’s open evening is and that school finishes at 12pm that day so they usually have these things planned well in advance and they aren’t a last minute thing.

I can’t see any harm in missing a few classes in the afternoon as a one off once a year, I’m sure the schools have it all planned out so that they’re not really missing anything and the hours are made up throughout the year.

Presumably you weren't arsed when it shut for your open day? Honestly you're being dreadfully self-centred. They'll be fine, the teachers need to prep, you're unreasonable.

@NeverDropYourMooncup - I can honestly say that I feel lucky reading that.

students are not permitted in the building before 830, so no, I don’t supervise breakfast at 730. They don’t have intervention or clubs before then as a result.

I can’t see them turning up ‘to see what’s going on’ at 455, but we are again lucky perhaps - we just wouldn’t let them in.

@carefullycourageous i wasn’t arsed when it shut for my open day - sorry what? What open day do you mean? The whole point of this thread is that I am arsed.

I see from your later update this is a new introduction to your school.

But I still think you're being really silly. It is two lessons. The school will be paranoid about results. They can be trusted to care - and if they can't these two hours make no difference to that.

No child's education hangs on two hours.

It doesn’t, but we’ve already had one closure this week. They have mocks next month and they missed a lot of learning in the last few years. I don’t want to sound like a dick, but every hour in lessons really does count, and I just don’t think the message it sends is great.

How big is your school OP. Ours is relatively small and we could never do a full open evening in two hours. We are usually encouraging parents to leave well after 9pm

I think it's great. Surely teachers deserve a break in what would otherwise be an unreasonably long day? Not that it's a 'break' break as they'll still be sorting things out for open evening, but a bit of respite at least!

Nine o clock is very late.

As I say our school is one of the smaller secondaries round here. What about yours? What do you offer on open evening ?

Ours doesn't affect the school day. I'm not sure why it would need to either. People prepare in the weeks leading up to it. I don't think it's a great message to put out that they can just cancel an afternoons lessons when they feel they need to. Maybe ours aren't as elaborate as everyone else's though!

Oh, how I LONG for something this humane. We close at 3.10 and Open Evening begins at 4.30. No time to prep stuff and eat or rest at all. Finish at 8pm and the back in 12 hours later...

Yes, I’m starting to think we are perhaps in the less elaborate camp! Or were, at any rate.

I think we were fairly pragmatic up till now. Parents would come in and expect to look around, talk to teachers and students and look at work but not make bombs in science or whatever. Now … who knows. I’d rather teach.

I'd rather see the school on a normal day with kids in it than a load of science experiments put on for display. Why do schools do this? I show prospective parents round my school, usually for Reception places, and we just go in and out if the classrooms with lessons going on. Now DD has to miss two afternoons for the open days, she is now in Y8 and it just seems so pointless. I was sucked in by one of these open days myself, impressed by the music and the science. The teaching and learning since then is nothing like that.

We close early so staff can set up and have a break. Open evening is until 9pm. I'll be home about 10.30.

I have exam classes that afternoon. They'll be getting consolidation work to do.

Cross post @ThisIsNotARealAvo !

Happens every year mine finish at 1215 Thursday, start at 1025 Friday. Couldn't get worked up about it. Presumably you went to and benefited from the opening enjoy at your kid(s)' school?

We also have open week which is a fortnight. Parents come round during the normal school day.