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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

DS's school want to intoduce longer school day!

49 replies

MrsSawyer · 30/05/2012 11:33

Will keep this brief, to start at 8.45, break at 11 - 11.15, lunch 12.15 - 1.15, "learning through play" then until 3.00, then enrichment activites until 3.45, for example, metalwork, golf, athletic, cooking, gardening, sewing etc. Would you be happy about it? My DS will be just 6, i worry hes too young for a longer day. This will only be from year 2.

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ChopstheScarletduck · 30/05/2012 16:42

It sounds really good. Are there no extra curricular activities at the moment? The dts primary finishes at 3.15, but there are various clubs and things that run after school until 4. But these are all paid for and quite expensive. If I could get 'enrichment' activities for free, I would bite their hand off!

Hulababy · 30/05/2012 16:44

My DD does 8:30am til 3:45pm, the school does this from Y3 upwards. The infants do 8:30am til 3:30pm. There are clubs til 5:15pm if children chose to do them.

AThingInYourLife · 30/05/2012 16:50

I think that's too long a day for primary school, regardless of what "activities" they are doing.

The bit of the day when school is over and you get to choose what to do with your own time is important.

CremeEggThief · 30/05/2012 17:44

I am very [jealous]! DS's day is 08.55 to 15.10. He is in Year 4.

CremeEggThief · 30/05/2012 17:45

Let's see if it works now-.

shushpenfold · 30/05/2012 17:47

Sounds great - my dc do 8am til 5pm and love it.

orienteerer · 30/05/2012 17:50

In Yr 2 my DS did 0820 (in by 0800) to 1600, was absolutely fine.

3duracellbunnies · 30/05/2012 19:16

In priciple the longer hours would be finee, my problem would be firstly having staggered pick ups between infants and junior, secondly often afterschool clubs in other places (rainbows, ballet etc), often start soon after school especially for those in infants, so you might pick up child 2 at 3.15; have to take them to ballet for 3.45 at the same time child 1 is finishing school. Wouldn't work for me at the moment, but if you just have older children then it sounds quite fun. I would be petitioning the school for the option of them hanging onto the younger ones in some sort of after school club thing, or even somewhere warm and dry for parents to wait with them, half an hour isn't long in the summer, but it is in the winter when it is raining, speaking from experience.

Pooka · 30/05/2012 19:19

Dcs school is currently 9 - 3.30pm.

Will be 8.50 until 3.15 from September. Making lunch break shorter and doing away with set afternoon break for ks2.

jo164 · 30/05/2012 21:35

Its sounds like a good idea to me. My daughter is just finishing reception and she does 8.30am (school starts at 8.45) until 3.30pm. KS2 finish at 3.40pm 3 days a week and 4pm twice a week to allow extra time for swimming and games. They all seem to cope.

weatherrain · 30/05/2012 21:48

I wouldn't like it. I think even 30 minutes extra to the day (unless it's a non-compulsory after school activity that your child has to actually opt in for) is a lot to a child that age.

weatherrain · 30/05/2012 21:50

Generally speaking a lot of people seem to be quite supportive of making the school day as long as possible, IME at least.

hungrytot · 30/05/2012 22:25

i'd riot. but then i don't think kids should even go to school till they are seven.

AThingInYourLife · 31/05/2012 08:06

I know, weather, why not drop them off at 7 in their pyjamas, pick them up at 8 already asleep?

They could do bedtime enrichment activities :o

Then we'd never have to see them or pay for childcare.

Any way we could get them in for weekend courses?

I need my leisure time too!

Lizcat · 31/05/2012 08:53

I think you'll find that most of us who have longer school days also have longer holidays. So actually we get the same amount of home time just more of it is whole days.

Takver · 31/05/2012 10:30

Sounds absolutely fine, only 15 minutes longer than the standard school day (from age 4) at dd's - state - primary.

TBH at that age dd came home then was playing out until teatime in good weather, so as long as they're doing physically active things then I wouldn't see the problem. Actually the activities you've listed sound great! As someone else has said it sounds like the sort of programme that people would give as the reason for paying for private schooling.

Takver · 31/05/2012 10:31

Presumably it will also mean that children will want to do fewer extra curricular activities outside of school if they can do things like golf, metalwork etc within the school day. So they shouldn't lose 'chilling' time IYSWIM.

culturemulcher · 31/05/2012 10:49

Thanks OP.

Our school does 8.40 to 3pm. When DD first started I thought 8.40 was horrifically early to start (I'm more of a night owl) but we soon got used to it.

I've been working hard with the school to get more after school activities for the children, but these are on a voluntary basis and paid for by the parents - I imagine it's hard for the parents who can't afford for their DC to do extra bits and pieces.

I think what your school's proposing is excellent. I'd love our school to do the same.

culturemulcher · 31/05/2012 10:52

weather it's an interesting point. My feeling, though, is that it's great for the DC to have a physical activity straight after school as they get so little in school time.

I think it's much less tiring for them to have it straight after school than be taken home, changed, and hurried out of the door again to outside-school activities.

FayeGovan · 31/05/2012 11:02

what the hell are enrichment activities?

what happened to going home after school and finding yourself something to do if you were bored?

too many kids have their lives organised and rota'd, by either school or parents

I don't see the point of a longer day at school, can you imagine being at work and someone says "oh your day will be an hour longer from next week", and then your mum saying" oh thats great, she'll love that...."

crunchbag · 31/05/2012 12:01

I wouldn't like it at all. I think the school day is long enough and 'enrichment activities' should be optional.

Elibean · 31/05/2012 12:13

I wouldn't mind the extra half hour (mine finish at 3.15 currently), though dd1 would have been beside herself by then - kids do vary on stamina levels - at that age.

I would definitely mind the encroachment on free time for 1-1 play, play with siblings, and most of all chosen after school activities. Enrichment is great, but as kids have different interests/talents - we prefer to choose after school activites to fit!!!

Its not long enough for me to imagine making a huge fuss over, but I wouldn't like it.

jaffy · 01/06/2012 14:28

What a great conversation! I think parents posting would be interested in a new coalition called the Time to Succeed Coalition (www.timetosucceed.com) It is a coalition that is working to ensure that all children in our nation?s high-poverty communities have more and better learning time in school to prepare them for success. They focus on children from low income neighborhoods but the success stories they have on their site and the making the case section are both very compelling. I encourage everyone to check it out! They also do a great job with social media!

rollingfog143 · 01/06/2012 14:39

Wouldn't want it for DD (aged 7). She's there from 8.45 - 3.15 and she's ready to leave by then. Enrichment activities take place at home or at out of school clubs. Or she just plays out/chills.

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