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?

@funtycucker , but then that’s your choice, isn’t it?

Would you really want me to put on a sparkling show to win you over,only to discover to your horror that this is actually who I am once your children start? I mean, I’m genuinely not sure why I sound such a nightmare, but that’s up to you. Better to know what you’re getting before you begin.

No issue, same at our school. Not as if it presents child care issues like at primary

I think there are two strands to this thread.

Firstly, and in some ways most importantly, I’m not asking or expecting teachers to add to their considerable workloads.I don’t think they should be expected to put on elaborate experiments, Harry Potter competitions, British bake off games, and so on. I think the school should be shown at its best, but that’s different to these crazy activities that aren’t representative of the school.

When the time does come - own children are preschool - I would want to see a neat and well presented school, I would want to see childrens work and to talk to staff and students. I don’t want to choose a school on the basis of interactive games never to be repeated after the open evening.

But I also don’t think we should ignore that the last three years have been extremely disruptive, and that there was a closure on Monday, which also hit my year 13s and 11s (and 12s.)

So as it stands it is unfair on both parties, IMO.

How do you expect teachers to clean the school, out displays of work out, set chairs out in the hall for the Headteachers talk, prepare pupil helpers to do the tours oh and eat, all within the space of an hour though?

Presumably you have approached senior management about your concerns?

How does the Op sound like a nightmare- 'oh no, teacher wants to, shock, horror, teach their pupils!' Hardly an awful occurrence in a school.

Early closure is calendared whereas Monday was unplanned (and the DFE have reduced our days to 194/189) so you're not comparing like with like.

@PrettyPrim we lowly teachers don’t, as a rule, in secondaries, although I am now wondering if I work in a very peculiar school.

I am concerned, but as to whether I’ll place a target on my back - probably not. I’ll moan on here instead [ smile]

But it’s not whether it’s on the calendar or not. The curriculum is the same whether we are in for 365 days (obviously not) or ten. I still have the same amount of content to get through, and in one week, I’ve lost two hours of that.

Things happen and of course a bank holiday closure can’t be avoided. But then to add to that by closing early when (imo) there is no need at all, we are all at a disadvantage.

I just can’t see where there are any winners in this. Not the teachers, who have to somehow plough through the curriculum, not the current students and not even the prospective ones.

En masse. They are toured around by the current year sevens and for the most part peer through windows of classes in action except if a classroom is empty. Most of the decisions by parents seem to be made by speaking directly to the pupils or through the presentations. And by the reputation of the school. It’s a state comp, nothing fancy, but it does exceptionally well by its students.

If it's in the calendar, you know it's coming and can plan for it. My year 11 missed two lessons on Monday - I had enough notice to set them plenty of extra work which they did!
I don't disagree that it doesn't need to be all dry ice and wonderment but I think expecting us to be in school from 8.30am until 9.00pm without proper set up and break time is unreasonable.

I have planned for it, but however it is dressed up, it’s an hour where they could be learning, and aren’t, and for no purpose. That’s what I’m objecting to.

Open Evening is a sales pitch. Schools need to recruit pupils, because pupils = money. Your school being undersubscribed is not good.

You might want to simply take your child quietly around a school and look at a few pupils' books, but if the school down the road is putting on a jazzy show, then that's going to be more memorable. If the kid is involved in the decision making at all, then the school that engaged them with games and snacks is going to more popular than one where they waited, bored, while their parent chatted to the teachers.

I can't imagine being that arsed about missing a Y11 lesson this early in term as we're not at the counting the lessons left stage, but my school doesn't close early so they just get knackered teachers dragging themselves through lessons the next day instead.

How long does it reasonably take to sweep & clean the dinner hall/sports hall and put tables & chairs out?! Madness. The schools I went to never ever finished early

OP, I wonder if you are at a school with a religious woman in the name on the edge of a city where many students travel in by bus

Or, simply many schools are doing the same thing.

It's too late to object once the calendar is done. You need to object now for next year.

Ok someone between you and SMT?

It isn’t undersubscribed, @noblegiraffe .

@NeckFanInSoftPlay we don’t do actual cleaning. I mean, keeping the rooms clean and tidy, yes, but I’ve never seen a teacher walking around with a hoover or windolene.

Who the hell is in charge of your curriculum planning if it doesn't involve a few weeks' worth of leeway?
Ours always does - mock exams, unforeseen events, college interviews, planned bank holiday Mondays, INSET days all get in the way of delivering content on a strict timescale.
I'm in charge of curriculum planning for an area in my department and always make sure to build in extra time (called revision/ recap for senior leaders) so that my colleagues can finish what they need to without rushing. Shit happens.
I did a lesson today on insulation which meant I had a bunch of kids piping in about their life experiences. The one lesson now turned into two. Big deal, I will catch up. Being flexible and adjusting to what is happening daily is part of what we do.

I’m not objecting to the open evening, @MrsHamlet . I’m objecting to the closure.

Well, yes, but that’s the point, @ThrallsWife . Inevitably things come up but I think we should at least try to avoid where possible. Otherwise, it’s making a mockery of pushing attendance. The subtext is it’s not really that important, and that’s the impression I have here too.

Either it’s a crucial year, or it’s not. We can’t say it’s vitally important when it suits us and not when it doesn’t.

I have NEVER heard of this happening before! School finishes 3.15, open evening starts around 4.30/5pm. I've always assumed an hour plus was all that was needed to get some tables and chairs put out in the hall. Clearly some schools have far more elaborate evenings than ours!

I know. But you still need to raise that before the calendar is done.

Save me from the elaborate evenings!

It isn’t undersubscribed

Open evening isn't about whether you are currently undersubscribed, it's about whether you will be undersubscribed next year.