Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Education

Join the discussion on our Education forum.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5

Original poster

school half day at end of term

109 replies

mumzy · 14/12/2012 17:42

My dcs state primary always closes at 1pm at the end of each term after they have taken the afternoon register. Its a pain as I work and either have to take a half day or arrange childcare. Having spoken to a teacher friend it seems the school is giving the impression they are providing a full days education. Does anyone elses dc do this and is it legal?

OP posts:

2kidsintow · 14/12/2012 19:09

This doesn't happen in any of the primaries local to me, or any of the primaries I've worked in.
It doesn't happen in my dd's secondary.

If you don't like it, I'd complain to the the governors and the local education department.

IsaXMASbelleRinging · 14/12/2012 19:12

Our school doesn't do this!

SetPhasersTaeMalkie · 14/12/2012 19:14

12 noon here for primary and secondary schools but only at Christmas and summer.
The children are marked in as being in for a full day but I cannot bring myself to care. DS is completed exhausted.

almapudden · 14/12/2012 19:18

The school I work in closes at 1 on the last day of term.

Original poster

mumzy · 14/12/2012 19:20

We get the term times at the start of each academic year in September and it states clearly that school finishes at 3.30pm at the end of eac term. We are then told in a newsletter a few weeks before the end of each term to pick up our dcs at 1.30pm on the last day of term. I think they should be up front and make the last day of term an inset day rather than have a sneaky half day. Will discuss it with the governors next week

OP posts:

wigornian · 14/12/2012 19:29

DS's private school finish at 3:40 as usual, but, no after-school care.

SleighbellsRingInYourLife · 14/12/2012 19:35

DD1's primary finishes at 12.15 on the 21st.

It says it clearly on the calendar, so no skiving.

I'm glad of it. We are going to head to my parents straight after I pick her up. DH is taking a half day.

TalkinPeace2 · 14/12/2012 19:35

12.30 for us - and non uniform so I'm not expecting them home (on the public bus) till at least 2pm!

if you have a problem greeting your kids from school at the end of term, I'm afraid you need to REALLY re-evaluate your priorities.

orangeandlemons · 14/12/2012 19:45

They finish early to let the teachers sort out everything and clear up ready for the next term.

It is sanctioned by the LEA which is why they have to have a register mark. Very very little is allowed so it must be acceptable.

Original poster

mumzy · 14/12/2012 19:54

As Ive stated upthread I work so I book everything including work commitments into my diary for at the start of every term. If the school states at the beginning of the academic year it closes at 3.30pm each term I assume the children will be kept on the premises untiil that time. Nothing to do with not wanting to be with dcs but just expecting the school to honour their commitments as I do mine.

OP posts:

EcoLady · 14/12/2012 21:54

Early finishes are a PITA for working parents but the children are not doing any work that day, so why not be upfront about it?

Our primary ends normal time after a day of games. DS will got to afterschool club as normal.

Our secondary has 'charities morning' then finishes after lunch.

BackforGood · 14/12/2012 22:26

Really talkin ? Working parents know that there are 190 days a year the children will be at school. They make the arrangements they need to for the holidays and training days. Not everybody is a SAHP, or has Grandparents round the corner to step in. As a teacher, I subscribe to the regular MN reminder that "school is not there for childcare", but, they have to realise that they can't take these extra half days. All school closures (except emercency floods / boiler breakdowns etc) have to be counted as one of the 5 days the school staff are at work but the children aren't.

Hulababy · 14/12/2012 22:29

DD's school (primary, independent) does it at Christmas, Easter and Summer but thy finish at 12.

The infant school I work at always does a full day at end of term.

difficultpickle · 14/12/2012 22:32

Ds's school finished for Christmas today at 10.30am. They only had to go to school for morning assembly which was actually just a carol service with a couple of readings and a bit of singing.

TheSecondComing · 14/12/2012 22:36

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

IwishyouaMerryChristmas · 14/12/2012 22:37

I've never heard of this!

Wouldn't matter either way to me as long as I had some notice.

5madthings · 14/12/2012 22:39

None of the primary schools here do that. I have never heard of it. Ds2's high school finishes ar 2pm but thats not a problem.he just gets a bus home.

Tinuviel · 14/12/2012 22:46

The secondary I work at does this at Christmas and summer but there is a letter that goes home to parents saying that if they need their DCs supervising we are happy to keep them till 3.20. How many of the letters get home, I really wouldn't like to say! We have only once kept someone back and he had been a pain in the neck all term, so his mum asked us to supervise him to show that she fully supported the school and that she wasn't happy with his behaviour either! He looked very glum sat outside an SLT office.

Pooka · 14/12/2012 22:46

We always finish an hour early at the end of autumn, Easter and summer terms. Normal time before half term though.

It's made clear at the beginning of term, and also practically twice a week in the last 5 weeks of term in newsletters and parent mails.

Tinuviel · 14/12/2012 22:47

Oh, and we don't get to leave early - there is always a staff meeting and then clearing up.

storynanny · 14/12/2012 23:19

It's all to do with hours teaching over the year. Usually more hours are taught over a whole school year than the required minimum therefore schools can legally adjust a day here or there without children dipping out of their time in the classroom

DeWe · 15/12/2012 19:21

Ours (infant and separate juniors) soemtimes do it. I like it, but every time they do it they get lots of complaints from working parents. It's nice for them to come out a little early usually about an hour and a half early, makes a nice end of term.

MrsCampbellBlack · 15/12/2012 19:28

We finish at normal time and late care also provided as usual. We do get long holidays though and broke up last week.

MrsCampbellBlack · 15/12/2012 19:31

Actually think last year it was lunchtime finish before christmas but were so many complaints that they didn't do it this year. They've also stopped the umm suggestions about taking children home after nativity/sports day at lunchtime too.

mummytime · 16/12/2012 05:52

DCs at State schools, Seniors finish at 1pm, Infants 1:30, Juniors 1:45. Time difference for Infants and Juniors is to allow parents to go from one site to the other. The same is true for all schools around here, unless the last day of term is an INSET day.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5