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Longer school day and shorter holidays, proposes Gove

409 replies

Morebiscuitsplease · 14/01/2012 10:24

I cannot understand this man. Children need time out, teachers also need time to prepare and mark work, when do either get this with such proposals? We complain our children are obese yet suggest more time in school. I do not want any child of mine going to school for 7.30 and finishing at 5. They need time to play, pursue other activities and do homework. Your thoughts please!

OP posts:
Portofino · 14/01/2012 20:24

alongtimeago - certainly the teachers should not do it. There needs to be a differentiation between school work and structured out of school activities. Let the teachers teach - employ others for the rest. Surely this would be a great job for parents of school age dcs who want these kind of hours?

So you get more tax payers, fewer people out of work, cover that increases flexibility of working hours for every one else, a quiet space to do homework, the ability to have fun with your friends after school in a safe environment enviroment.....

littleducks · 14/01/2012 20:24

I think it could be a brilliant thing, but would require huge investment of money and time but if it that wasnt done well it could be terrible.

DD's school is a bog standard (though 'outstanding' ofsted) state primary school but has class teachers and specialist music/PE/RE teachers who teach those subjects (whilst class teachers plan etc.) I am surprised to see that so many teachers are teaching everything.

I think that extended hours for more arts and crafts, things like instrument lessons could be great. DD does go to afterschool club on occassion, and they do some 'fun' stuff but only what I pay for, if there was more funding and more children they could do good things. I think on a soceity level it would be better than parents and children criss crossing all over town to different activities.....buses of children going to swimming lessons would be better.

BoneyBackJefferson · 14/01/2012 20:29

at the moment I am in school from 0715 to 1730, from 0715 to 0800 I make sure that the classroom is ready for the first set of kids. from 1530 to 1730 I take catch up sessions for pupils who can't be bothered to work during the day.

If gove changes the rules I will not be ale to do this as I will be doing other "more important" things.

I love my job and I have no intention of changing but extra hours, more paperwork, less planning time, more observations, and TBH less me time would be a deal breaker.

soverylucky · 14/01/2012 20:34

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

crunchbag · 14/01/2012 20:35

The thing is I don't want my children to always do structured activities in a safe familiar environment with the same people. I want them to have time to roam the streets or have fun with friends at the other side of town or just do nothing.

MoreBeta · 14/01/2012 20:42

Don't you worry about your children when they 'roam the streets'?

bobala · 14/01/2012 20:43

the other thing Gove has suggested is parents observing teachers when looking for the ones to get rid of - a horrendous idea in my opinion. As a teacher I already know which parents at my school would quickly volunteer to get into school and observe (spy) on the teachers - I am sorry but how exactly would they be qualified to make decisions on the quiality of teaching? I may be a teacher but put me in a secondary school and I wouldn't dream of judging those teachers as I trained for Infant children only.

BoneyBackJefferson · 14/01/2012 20:47

was it this lot or the last lot that wanted teachers to be reported for "bring the profession in to disrepute" if they where seen out drinking?

bobala
yup I know exactly which ones would be first in line at my school as well.

Kellogg · 14/01/2012 20:48

I don't worry morebeta, I would far rather spend money on living somewhere that dd can roam the streets than school fees.

TheCrackFox · 14/01/2012 20:49

1 I have better things to do with my time than observe teachers.

2 I don't worry about my children when they are playing outside with their friends. It is perfectly normal. The last thing I want is for them to always be in a "controlled" environment.

Kellogg · 14/01/2012 20:50

I posted about that bobala on the other thread which I killed. It reveals that Gove does not think that teaching is a skill or a profession. Instead any Tom Dick or Harry could teach or decide who should be teaching.

crunchbag · 14/01/2012 20:54

MoreBeta no not really. I know roughly where they are and just because they are not surrounded by playground fences doesn't mean they are in danger or making the neighbourhood unsafe.
I just like to give them some freedom and independence in a non-structured way

soverylucky can't say I would blame you if you left.

soverylucky · 14/01/2012 20:55

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

jellybeans · 14/01/2012 21:11

It's a bad idea. Wrap around care should be optional. The school day is long enough. As a SAHM I don't need extra care and my kids love coming home at 3pm. No way would I make my kids do the extra hours.

As for roaming the streets, it is amazing how many parents at my kids secondary do not let their kids do anything. That includes ferrying them to school when they could easily walk. My kids enjoyed 'roaming the streets' to the local park etc from the last year of primary. Did them the world of good. And they never bothered anyone, people often comment on their good behaviour.

MoreBeta · 14/01/2012 21:45

I don't want to observe teachers either. That is a silly idea.

Portofino · 14/01/2012 23:11

We used to roam the streets and fields for hours as children/teenagers. I would not let dd do that quite frankly. She is allowed out front on her bike/in neighbours houses. It is sad really.

echt · 15/01/2012 00:11

That Gove; he's got a face you'd never tire of slapping, hasn't he though?

I like the way the Guardian always has photos of him which make him look as mad as a mad thing.

Anyway, one wonders if this flurry of muscle-flexing (certainly, little brain activity is evident) is in anticipation of a Cabinet reshuffle. His latest wheeze is to turn the National Curriculum into a giant wiki. He read it in a book. About the conduct of warfare.

Fucking numpty.

cory · 15/01/2012 01:00

TheCrackFox Sat 14-Jan-12 20:49:48

"The last thing I want is for them to always be in a "controlled" environment."

Hear, hear!

BoattoBolivia · 15/01/2012 08:44

The subject of school buildings is really important. I was, until recently, at a school that had been amalgamated from separate infant a junior schools into a one beautiful new building. We went from 2 buildings, each with their own hall, music rooms, drama room, spare classrooms for groups and sets, to a state of the art building with one hall, music room, library and ict suite as the only common spaces.
This meant that during the day, 14 classes fought over these areas, and the hall was out of action from 11.30-1.30 because of dinner. There was no space for small group work, or sets for maths and literacy.
Outside visitors, such as instrument teachers, creative workshops or needing to practise your class assembly caused chaos for everyone.
After school, those areas would be available for clubs, but the After School childcare club used at least 2 of them most of the time.
Our head fought hard for extra space, but we got the maximum we were allowed per child.
Ironically, the sites of the 2 old schools were then used to build new housing estates, so there is now not enough space in the school for all the local children!

Don't get me started on being a teacher/parent and actually wanting to see my own children occasionally!
Or having the flexibilty to walk out of school at 4 on a Friday (taking work with me of course) so we can go and visit family elsewhere in the country at weekends.
Or being abe to have dc's friends over after school so they can PLAY.
I would love there to be more money to pay EXTRA staff to do clubs at dc's school so I don't waste time ferrying them around, but I have actively chosen for them to only do 2 things outside school hours, because they need down time during the week.
Gove...just NO!

Bonsoir · 15/01/2012 08:47

"Don't you worry about your children when they 'roam the streets'?"

The one thing I really worry about is having children who have only ever been in a controlled, structured, supervised environment. I spend a lot of time trying to give our children as much freedom as possible.

BornToBeRiled · 15/01/2012 09:00

So hardly anyone favours this idea. Most people do want optional good quality wrap around care, supervised homework sessions, maybe use of school buildings for activities for which activity leaders could pay lower rent. All sounds reasonable. Pay staff to run extra sessions perhaps. None of this to be compulsory for pupils. Fine. Are you listening Mr Gove?

CailinDana · 15/01/2012 09:04

Of course he's not listening Born. He doesn't have the money to implement anything he's talking about, he just wants people to point the finger at teachers and say "look at the lazy buggers, won't work longer hours for free" so that when the pensions thing rears its ugly head again teachers will look greedy and lazy. Sigh.

EdithWeston · 15/01/2012 10:50

The Labour party favours this idea....

Enough said, really.

Kellogg · 15/01/2012 11:21

Exactly callindana. What makes matters worse is the fact that Gove holds us in such contempt he does not think we can spot this for ourselves.

hocuspontas · 15/01/2012 11:29

Childhood isn't all about school!

It's having the delicious feeling of a long holiday stretching ahead, lie-ins, projects, doing your own thing with mates etc. School should form part of one's childhood, not define it. Fuck off Gove. Were your own holidays so bad that you can't understand anyone actually looking forward to them?