When kids go back in September, should schools stay open till 4pm

[Lardlizard]

To allow kids to catch up and allow workers to catch up on work

Just want the schools to be open and stay open!

But if they are keeping kids in bubbles, and not mixing bubbles then wrap around care/after school clubs cannot be offered in the way they were before. That is likely to screw most working parents but I think if you asked teachers to extend their working day you would lose a lot of good staff.

No

Let’s face it whatever happens in September with schooling a huge number of working parents will have to quit their jobs come September as there will be no wrap around care. I don’t think the answer is to extend the school day for all the reasons listed above (and also because I don’t know anyone who finishes work early enough for a 4pm pick up anyway!).

Let’s just hope Boris has accounted for this in increased benefit payments come September!

If it were used to emphasise things like art, music, drama and sport, taught by some of the many specialist teachers/outside providers so that the additional focus on "catching up" doesn't remove all the cultural enrichment from the curriculum, that would be a good thing. Might also allow planning/marking etc during the school day.

Would need a budget to pay the staff though...

Any spare money is being spent on cleaning. I am looking forward to the secondary school being cleaner

No.
Kids have homework and activities do do after school.

I think there will be wrap around care bur an expectation to keep children 1m apart or something else equally pointless, as in the current guidance.

For anyone saying yes as my private school children do this, they only do it at private school as all school have to provide a minimum amount of teaching hours per year. This is to make up for the fact that they normally have much longer holidays then state schools. They have to fit the hours in somewhere, which is why some even do Saterday school as well.

Of all the areas the government could choose to invest in surely Education should be at the top of the pile. I am sickened by stories of huge classes, lack of teachers, unhygienic facilities ( no hot water, lack of toilets and sinks), lack of equipment and SENCO provision. The children and investment in the education of them, will be what drives the economy in years to come. Obviously I was aware previously of the situation on a very surface level , ( my kids’ school is very good in many ways so no issues personally for us) but these threads have opened my eyes to the absolute shambles that they have left teachers to deal with. Then to add insult to injury ridiculous amounts of paperwork to their daily teaching. This really needs to change. The government need to invest heavily.

For anyone saying yes as my private school children do this,

Private schools also tend to have more sport and more breaks.

My DC's state school "only" runs from 8.30-3pm but they have 45 minutes of breaks in total (1hr 20 minutes at local private school) and virtually no PE at all.

Any spare money is being spent on cleaning. I am looking forward to the secondary school being cleaner

This is interesting. Ive commented many a time that keyboards And computers and even the teachers desks are not cleaned. Well, Computers including keyboards are now cleaned After each member of staff has left the room. However, i was Working on a computer in an office today and the dust around it was ridiculous. Can’t have been cleaned in months.