Aibu to be pissed off about neighbours complaining their kids behind in school but let them run around outside until bedtime?

[Bookwanderer]

My neighbours have been bitching about the school & that their kids school reports haven't been great.. However the second the kids are home from school their out playing until around 9pm even in the winter.. Most days they have friends home with them too.. They can't really blame the school can they?!!

You can see why society is as it is from the responses so far. Parental investment and valuing education is more important than anything else, including the school and medical issues. Good teaching is def important but if the parents don't back up the value of reading and learning as well as playing, socialising and relaxing then they can't expect the school to do everything for them. Balance is key.

@IamAlso4eels & it educates mine who are in the same class no problem. DH & I are very happy.

I'd love my kids to be running around outside every day after school. They might spend less time fighting and gawping at the tv/ xbox. What connection are you making between being behind at school and playing outside? I can't see it.

This. 9pm is a little late but not really late, 8pm would probably be better. But it’s nice that some kids still ‘play out’ and aren’t just gawping at tablets and tiktok all evening. I don’t get why it annoys you though as it’s not your business really, as long as the kids are clean and fed and not being smacked around.

Absolutely, my kids have activities in the evenings after homework & do a couple of after school clubs but they still get an hour or two to play out every evening!

Kids should be outside playing with other children.

Sounds a bit much tbh, bet they are exhausted 😴

How do you know they're not doing homework in the morning? DS does his between 7.45 after breakfast and 8.15. There's no proof homework has any advantageous effect on overall performance. Activities are expensive, as a rule, and they're getting valuable skills from playing. You sound very judgemental and snobbish.

It annoys me because I was listening to the bitching this evening on my way to drop the dc to a club.. I wanted to say "you're the child's parents who are responsible for their education first & foremost, support the school & support your child" " but I buy my tongue & said" can't say I agree, DH & I are very happy".

Yes this, I love it when my kids play out, they spent covid being fairly isolated and I feel they are gaining really valuable skills and also just enjoying themselves with their mates!

No their absolutely fine, sorry to disappoint you 😁

I'd much rather a child in my class who has had a good run around the evening before so they've had a good sleep and are ready to learn, they're also less likely to be fidgety and distracted as they're regularly burning off energy.

You are of course presuming that the parents are in a position to help them. Do they have the literacy and numeracy skills themselves?

YABU.

Very odd post.

There's not enough context to say who is unreasonable. Perhaps it is not the parents' fault the children are in bottom sets.
I don't think you can judge the parents because their kids spend time outdoors. If anything, this is a good thing.

Smuggy Mc Smuggerson. Do you make them line up and sing "Goodbye, Farewell" like The Sound of Music every night too?|

Get a grip.

What are they actually doing ‘playing out’?
Football, chasing, skipping ? Or sitting on a wall gawping at YouTube?

Personally I am thrilled the kids are outdoors..

Kids need fresh air, running around, socialising as much as they need some 1 to 1 time with parents. Short bursts of sitting with them learning 5-10 minutes a day in the early days of schooling make a huge amount of difference as well as daily reading, discussion and use of vocabulary. However, exercise and daylight is just as important for their growing bodies so yes, it is a balance. These days it can be hard to achieve especially if parents both work full time and after school club allow too much tech.

Yep both sets of families would be in good professions.

They're probably doing homework, reading etc at the weekends

Are you also inside their house abd know what happens behind closed doors? Are they really always outside? Or just fron when you get home from work or whatever? If they're in school until 4 then do an hour work and reading until 5 abd play outside for 4 hours that is actually OK. Mire than an hour on top of a full day's school is too much. You don't actually know how much they do do you?

Homework makes less difference than social class a recent study has found.

https://www.itv.com/news/granada/2023-04-12/social-class-contributes-more-to-pupil-progress-than-homework-help-says-study

Pushing kids to do extra work normally has the opposite effect they rebel and hate it.
No idea y u think u r the expert.

Yes class makes the difference for various reasons including parents supporting the school in school readiness, ie shapes, colours, putting own shoes and coat on, using cutlery etc and in 10 mins reading to your child a day from tiny etc. Also time due to flexible jobs, comfortable beds, space to do hw and have a garden.