Does your junior school age child stay in at playtimes to finish work?

[TinyGang]

I didn't know this happened at dds school. Dd is in year 3 and is 8.

She mentioned in passing that today is the first day this week she hasn't had to stay in.

She seems unpeturbed by this and says that's how it is at school in all the years. You stay in at breaktime - could even be the lunch break - and finish off. Because she writes slowly she stays in to finish off. Not in a 'you've been naughty' told off kind of way it seems, but just as a matter of course.

I was a bit flummoxed by this - I thought they were supposed to have/needed a break.

Any thoughts? I can't say she seems very bothered about it tbh, but I am a bit.

We do at our school - but not as a matter of course.

For certain children, the threat is enough to get the work completed. It's a case of ' This is the work that needs to be done, and you have x time to do it in, but it will be finished, even if it means you missing part of your playtime.'

But the work does need to be achievable in the time given, and I always discuss this with the parent concerned first. Usually parents are surportive of this.

We only need to do it with a few children in the whole school, and it certainly isn't every week.

They need a break.
The ones who find literacy especially difficult need a break more than anyone.
I would discuss this with the school, as it is unfair.
Your DD should be having support to enable her to finish her work within class time, and then be able to go out and play.

Mine have, on occasion, for differing reasons, but the school also insist that the children have at least a few minutes breaktime too.

Hmm thanks all.

I'm just a bit bemused I suppose, although if dd was unhappy or struggling I'd be chatting to the teacher today.

I might mention it at the upcoming parents evening soon just to get the full picture. I know dd can take a bit of time sometimes although she seems to be keeping up generally with the pace of the work; or so they said last time we saw the teachers.

Not fair to keep kids in if they are slow writers. My son had literacy problems and was always kept in to finish stuff.

I,m a secondary school teacher, and when I mentioned it to the SENCO at my school, she was not at all happy with it, and said it was considered bad practice in SN to do this Why are they being punished for being slow at writing? Even if they don't have literacy problems but work hard and don't finish they should not be kept in IMO. If they haven't finished due to messing around then that is fine to keep them in.

I complained and teacher stopped doing it

And it's not for 'slow' workers, it's purely for children who haven't finished due to messing about etc.

This is one of my many reasons for changing dd and ds's school. In Y5 dd told me she lost her break if she got less than 18/20 for spellings or tables. This seemed to be regardless of ability. No way was I having dyslexic ds subjected to this. I know of a couple of kids made really stressed by this. I told dd she had to have imagined it, but checked it out and it was true. They didn't even get any proper guidance in the break time about how to learn tables. Just wish I'd made more of a fuss with govs/LEA.

If she is regularly having to stay in (ie. not a threat for messing in class) I think the workload is perhaps unrealistic.

They do need a break.