8:30-5:30 - too long a day?

[OptimusRhyme]

DS was very keen to join lots of clubs at his prep but the result is that 3 days a week he won't even leave school until 5:30. Is this too long? Anyone else's kids been fine with that span of day?

He won't have the time or energy left for homework

Mine did 8 till 5. Plus 2 weekday out of school activities. How old is he? They did this from year 1.
Mostly because it was cheaper than after school club.....

Sorry, he's 7 going into year 3.

Mine did 8 until 5.30 or 6 from a couple of months old .... including holidays, aside from time I took off. Her days only reduced at secondary school. She was fine (and is 21 now). I can't recall her having much homework at primary school.

Our year 4 does 7.20am til 5.10pm including travelling time. It's a long day and we are all flagging by Friday and the end of term. 2 nights a week sports clubs on top of this...

My son was keen on clubs and signed up for something every day in year 3. We had to pull him out of some after a few weeks, he was too tired to cope. But he was a summer birthday; and by year 4 was coping with after school stuff every day. (Mind you from yr 4 onwards that was for choir except one day a week) Some of his friends were fine with more in year 3. I think you'll need to play it by ear.

Mine have been fine with longer days (8-6) since reception as doing clubs and then regular after school care. Not always ideal but hey.

I think kids are all different. Some cope well with long days and others burn out.

My kids will have to do breakfast and after school club to fit around my work as a teacher so their day will be 7:30-5pm.

Mine have done 8-6 5 days a week since 4 months old, year round. They cope fine. Lots wouldn't consider it ideal, but I have a full time 9-5 job and no family support. The extended hours were one of the attractions of prep school.

They have both done clubs and activities provided by the school every day or attended the provided prep sessions so that there is no homework except reading. They are home by 6.30 and the evening is then theirs.

My dc’s school will not let children do after school activity clubs (provided by the school, obvs they have no control what happens out of school) in YR.

My DC (entering Y3 and Y6) have both done wraparound afterschool club 3 or 4 days a week since YR, and after school activity clubs a couple of days a week (at school, during the time they would otherwise be in wraparound care). They’ve been OK! We tend to do all homework on Saturdays and have always managed to fit in Beavers/Cubs/Scouts, music practice and swimming lessons. Most days they are at school 8am (breakfast club) to 5.30 pm They are certainly not unusual in this.

If they are things he is really keen to do, then let him. You can always reduce if he's not coping.

That's fine for a primary school child. Early secondary and I think they would struggle.

My ds routinely does 7.45-5.30 twice a week, we have no choice in that. He copes fine with it but we don't attempt any homework etc on those days, he wouldn't have the energy.

It's the homework I'm worried about. He's going to have 30 minutes every night to do. School ends 4:15 then straight into a club. I'll collect at 5:30 then 30 min drive home.

Mine have never done long days because I've only ever worked part time.

But Ds2 was very keen to do many clubs but Dh and I cut them down because it quickly became apparent that it was too much.

I think most kids are shattered from just basic school, and long hours regularly, or too many clubs, are a really bad idea.

I think clubs can be a good idea and lots of children do cope with late afternoons due to childcare.

I would try to see how 2 clubs work out and if possible then extend after one term. Or offer a club on a weekend if you can.

DD never came home before 5.30pm most days and still did reading and spelling/time tables most days.

See, I'd be more worried by the 30 minutes of homework every day, than the clubs, at least the clubs are activities he wants to do and are (presumably?) of a different nature to the school work.

It would also depend on how much self time he gets - ie if he's sleeping 8pm-7am it would be different to 10pm-7am, as the clubs eat less proportionately of the unstructured time.

DD had no problems with lots of extra-curriculars, but then she does require low end of sleep and never does homework.

That's easy then, he does the homework in the car

My oldest son went all the way through primary school going to breakfast club at 7:30 and after school club until 5:30 until he was 10 when he started coming home alone. It’s tiring, but he managed just fine. Just had to be super organised when we got in to make sure he ate dinner ASAP and some homework was done at after school club if he had any during the week.
DS2 will have to do the same, as it stands he’s in nursery from 7:30 until 18:00. It can’t be helped!

In y3, DD1 was doing Brownies, Music Centre “Beginner” Strings and a Piano lesson each week. Netball and Music Centre Choir were added by y6. By the time she was in y10, her extra curricular activities peaked at 12. Never one to deny herself opportunities! She did cut a few out in y11, but with difficulty. Some DC love these opportunities and don’t seem to get tired. Not much homework from y3-y6 though. Head didn’t believe in it.

Sounds normal to me. We often did homework waiting for swimming or dance lessons.

I sympathise. DD's regular schoolday is compulsory from 8am to 6pm from year 3 onwards, after school activities start at 6.30pm after dinner. She does orchestra so only finishes school at 7pm 1 day/week, and thinks about doing a sport this term, so she'll be home at 7.30 twice a week. From next year, they'll have compulsory enrichment lectures on another night and class drama rehearsals on another, so next year she'll get home at 7.30pm on 4 nights. She has to practice 3 instruments, gets about 30min homework and needs to read for another 20 min every evening. Not sure how she will cope and how to fit it all in. At moment I get her up at 6.45am to fit in at least one 30 min instrument practice before breakfast. Luckily she doesn't seem to need much sleep. I do though. They have Saturday school, too, so an early start and not much time for catching up on homework after 4 lessons followed by matches. They all do really well though, academically and with their music and sports and other stuff. But come holidays it's flopping in front of the telly all day. I guess the longer holidays even it out and make it sustainable.

DD is 8. We are in NZ and she is Year 4. She does swimming on Monday, Ballet on Tuesday and Saturday morning. Thursday is Kapa Haka (Maori performance group) and performance choir at school, Thursday evening is Brownies, Friday netball practice and Saturday afternoon is netball.

All this are activities she wants to do. That’s ample motivation to fit them in. Homework is only 20 minutes Monday - Thursday. Two days is English and two days maths. She’s asleep by 8 most nights. Sunday is our complete chill out day.

It requires a lot of organisation. Making sure the right gear is in the right place at the right time etc. There are other things that she would like to have a go at, for example surf lifesaving club (remember we live in NZ), an instrument, go back to learning French, another form of dance...

The main problem is when they start to get good enough when another night or session would help with progress. She’s already on two ballet classes a week and that will stay like that. She’s a competent swimmer and another session would benefit her enormously. That makes trying new activities harder, so I reckon give things a go now.

What kind of school sets 30 mins homework a night for a 7 year old?! Nightly Reading and spellings/tables is all we get, i’d tell the school you’re prioritising after school activities so not all homework will always be done.
I despair at education in this country! How are they meant to have time for all the hugely important extra curricular stuff? It’s bad enough so much has been dropped because of funding cuts but then to squeeze it out the other side too is shocking.