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?

Ours did open days on a Saturday so no early closure but they'd have an inset day on the Monday to clear up afterwards.

I don't know why there's such snippiness towards the op - she's an actual teacher so I assume she knows how these events work! Plus she's concerned about her exam years - what's wrong with that?

Not all schools close early for open evenings.

Maybe they should. Because teachers working their arses off each and every time 'for the sake of the children' isn't working as a model of education.

OP is you are so spectacularly bothered about the exam classes just sort out a voluntary lesson after school as catch up time.

Set them both an hour's flipped learning or revision tasks from this time last year? I mean it's not ideal but I really wouldn't be getting my knickers in a twist over it to the point of posting this.

Those things don’t take three hours though @funtycucker

Giraffe - apart from the fact that means less teaching time and I’m not totally comfortable with the message it sends out,it also pressures teachers to do more rather than less.

voluntary lesson

One they choose whether they come to or not.

The ones who need it most will not come.

And why should they, they will say. I can’t disagree.

Employment regulations? Schools? - I know there should be regulations but just no, it just doesn't happen.

Unless we send children home so that we get a break in the afternoon, of course we are putting in a very long day for parents evening. I'm surprised this has gone unrecognised.

Yep, it isn't ideal. Neither was yesterday.

But an hour in the big scheme of things is nothing.

It does take over an hour to set our rooms up, move everything etc. I have a full teaching day and duties the day of open evening so yeah, I think I'd like to eat and have chance to breathe before it starts!

Giraffe - apart from the fact that means less teaching time and I’m not totally comfortable with the message it sends out,it also pressures teachers to do more rather than less.

Is your English dept suddenly planning to put on a full performance of Romeo and Juliet now that you have the extra time?

Or is it just that the practical subjects who do have proper setting up to do have a bit of breathing space now that they don't have to teach all afternoon as well?

If we all get to get pedantic about it, open evening cannot be directed time. If I wasn't given a break to get offsite and get some dinner, I'd have a pressing engagement elsewhere.

But if lessons only finish at 3, with staff then having to do bus/yard duties till 3:15, it doesn't leave them with sufficient time to do all of the cleaning, prep,room set up and have a break, all before the open evening starts at 4.

open evening cannot be directed time

Isn't it? It's on our directed time calendar.

No, but then ours starts at 5.

Ours too Giraffe

It might be but actually DT is only for the students you have, not the ones you want. We could all just refuse.

Well as you like to keep reminding us, not all schools are the same. Some like to start earlier so that the staff actually get to leave before 9.30 and maybe be in with a chance of seeing their own families that evening, or so that the pupils helping out or attending the open evening aren't out too late at night. Some families even prefer to visit schools at an earlier time because it doesn't conflict with family meal times or bedtimes for younger children.

I've heard of schools which don't close early but have a late start the next day.

We close early.
I did keep my sixth form group for an extra hour to try and catch up.
Offer to teach your students, they can volunteer to attend.

Don't really see the problem with closing early. Means everyone has a decent break and a chance to set up. Students can be set work to do at home if you want. You can catch up a missed hour or two over the year.

This.

Miss 20 minutes for a dental appointment - you'll fail GCSEs.

Miss half a day for open evenings, extra bank holidays or whatever - absolutely fine!

I think the reason they struggle to get so many on board with the absences etc is the complete mixed messaging.

I'm pastoral in schools and I hear this so many times from parents.

I believe this is true. But every teacher knows it is in the schools (ie pupils and teachers) best interests to do it.

I have no issue with the OP's concern about her exam years.
Its complete lack of understanding that not every department can get way with a display board and some books thrown on a table.
Some of us do need set up time for the basics.

It's definitely true. But when I'm told it's DT and I know it isn't, and people start taking liberties, then my good will tends to evaporate.

Two days at the local secondary, child expected to attend with parents for twenty minutes meeting with form tutor.

@itsgettingweird I am not surprised parents get annoyed, to be honest.

You wanted to know what takes some departments so long.

Take Science.

We typically set up 2 labs.
We need to push tables and stools aside in both labs to make space. Parents and children cannot go through our rooms safely with practicals set up otherwise.
We need to defrost and pre-dissect organs.
We need to set out clean glassware that likely has been used during the day.
We need to get apparatus from various corners of the department.
Same for chemicals.
We need to have sanitising equipment and safety equipment on each desk.
We need to check CLEAPSS for their current guidance and adjust practical activities. We need to have a risk assessment in place for everything.
We need to have goggles out.
We need to practice every experiment beforehand - so new staff and supporting students know what they have to do.
Each time an experiment gets done, we need to sanitise parents and children, count equipment back in and put it out of reach of toddlers, who often accompany siblings.

So yes, we bloody well need the time. Which, in my school, we don't get - hence why we set up while we're teaching 6th form lessons two classes to a room that afternoon. Because that really leads to productivity.

And the fact we don't get time the next day either means we usually end up doing a much looser approach to lessons (it's not unheard of my collagues to do a poster lesson P1 and 2, for example).

Well no, that’s not quite what I was asking, to be honest.