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?

If I had school age children, I’d far rather see the school as it is, not with a load of things that take hours to prepare for.

Never heard of this in primary. We just do the expected 14 hour day.

This may be in breach of employment regulation - unless it’s on. Friday?

Not really the same if it is the odd one just deciding for themselves ad hoc.

This is a planned closure. The input can be done in the previous lesson, ensuring pupils have the information they need. They can then be set an independent task to be done during the missed two lessons. This can then be submitted and the teacher can feedback to the pupils during their next couple of lessons or so.

If it was just one child just deciding to bunk off then the preliminary input wouldn't be done, the independent task wouldn't have been set and the time for assessment and/or feedback wouldn't be arranged. So no, its not the same.

Bloody annoyed.

Mine got a detention for missing assembly. Last week they cancelled assembly but didn't tell the students. Double standards really piss me off.

Our school doesn’t do an open evening. The prospective year sevens are taken around the school during a regular school day. No flashy science experiments here! The head is confident enough to let the school and it’s pupils speak for itself. It’s always massively oversubscribed so they must be doing something right.

It's not about that. It's an important part of transition, showing the Yr6 group what secondary can be like. To do it properly takes input.

Double standards are annoying. I’m obviously not begrudging anybody a break, but the problem is that when you shut for the afternoon, as well as the lost learning, and bearing in mind they have lost a LOT already, there is an expectation it’s going to be an all singing and all dancing show, and I don’t want that. I don’t want to see it from my own childrens schools when the time comes and I don’t want to lend my time to it now,I am a teacher, not a performing monkey.

That's what's happening at my children's school. It does every year. It gives the staff a chance to get sorted.

It’s now showing them what it’s like when there are sweets in every room is it? I get this is important to you, but that only works as an argument if they are seeing what the school is like normally, not after five hours preparing.

They come round individually or en mass? This would be much more disruptive to us either way. We don’t have staffing capacity to do it individually and It would be entirely impractical to have hundreds of year 6s and year 5s touring the school whilst we are trying to teach.

I think I've totally misunderstood this thread - are you a teacher ?

You sound like an outraged parent!

In your model, you're giving staff 2 hours to:
Eat
Change
Clean the room or if you're lucky, a cleaner will come and vacuum for you (Pencil sharpenings are the worst)
Ensure displays haven't been damaged already (inevitable) so run around with staple gun
Tidy books and resources in the room
Visit the bathroom
Set up resources to show to parents - pupil work, text books, exam materials, SMART board, pictures of lessons/activities
Move car because SLT want the car park free for prospective parents to use
Show student volunteers what you want them to do

And that's just for my classroom part! For PE it's a whole other ball game getting tonnes of equipment out, putting down protective floors, showing student leaders what to do, ensuring areas are roped off for safety, tidying up changing rooms, fixing display boards (again, always getting knocked by bags/shoulders etc), setting up a projector to show pictures and videos.

Oh and don't forget you've been in teaching and done your normal day of work... perhaps a little break might be nice!

I think having a few extra hours to arrange everything and ensure staff wellbeing can only be a good idea.

Same.

When do you expect them to be able to get everything out and organised with children there?

Did you lose a lot of time last academic year OP? DD's college didn't close at all last academic year.

Open evenings are good for prospective parents as they can wander around at their own pace, talk to subject teachers, pastoral etc, and talk to a variety of existing pupils. (or could at my DDs school at least) It helps transition for primary pupils as it gives them a chance to get 'excited' about certain aspects of secondary school. Day time tours help you see a normal day but with much less chance for interaction.

I agree op. Our students leave at 3.15 as normal. We have open eve 6.30-9.

It's knackering but no lessons are lost.

So have you discussed it with the Head and asked why?
You could arrange a Teams lesson for both classes, or set a past exam question for them to be working on.

Count yourself lucky.

I teach Physics. Full teaching day on open day this year, as well as extra briefing in the morning (thanks for that) and a missing technician. Classes are being relocated to other rooms to the point 2 classes are being taught in one room so that people can start setting up.

Then no time to pack up again properly and back to a full teaching day the next day. I want to be paid in energy drinks, thanks.

Every school I've taught in sets up a range of science experiments, for all 3 sciences. This could never be done by popping back at 5 after teaching lessons all day. Lab technicians put it all on trolleys but staff have to set them up

If people want to see normal lessons schools have an open day ( most of them I've been at) this is the next day.

As a rule, we are not allowed the experiments the next day because the lab techs are busy cleaning and putting stuff away from open evening.

What’s your subject op ?

@Tiredalwaystired Your school must have an excellent reputation. I teach in a challenging area with 3 other schools vying for the same cohort of Y6. Typically on the same evening, too, so we are being told to make an extra effort!

Are you a teacher though? If you are I suggest you work on putting together a spectacular production for your department because your sparking demeanor wouldn't win me or my children over

@TeenDivided - a fair amount. Not all of it school closure, but students in and out and I missed a fair bit due to covid (before the new isolation rules kicked in.) So I am a bit exasperated at putting on a show for prospective students at the expense of current ones.

You did misunderstand it, @carefullycourageous . Didn’t stop you calling me names, of course.