UK Primary School Finishing Time In The 70s?

[TheOnlyWayToEatSandwiches]

I have done loads of research spent more than 5 minutes on Google before giving up and cannot find out how the finishing time of primary schools has changed over the years.

My OH and I are arguing about it.

I'm sure I used (in the 1970s and possibly early 80s) to finish at 16:30 ish, and they changed it to 15:30 at some point.

Or did I dream it?

Oops this was 1969 to 1981

My private schools finished later - 3.30 for the first one, but second was 4pm, or 4.45 from Y6 (twice a week 4.45 in Y5), and as there was only one lot of buses, this meant most of us hanging around on the floor of the hall for 45 min at the end of the day. Swapped loads of stickers and did most of my homework.

This was early 80s.

I was at primary school in the 1970s and the hours were 9.00am-4.00pm.

I was in primary in that decade. 15:30

3.30 primary. 4.00 secondary. I started school in 1970.

Infants 3.00pm Juniors 3.30pm here

Oh OK, thanks for all the replies, it's not impossible then.

I'm amazed you can all remember!!

Blaeberry, 'At half past three we go home for tea, or maybe at quarter to four.
And ten pairs of feet go running down the street and into their own front door.'
Can't remember the rest of it either...

...and it's rough and tumble, chatter and noise
Mothers and fathers, girls and boys
Baby in the carry cot, cat by the stove
A little bit of quarrelling and lots of love

I thank you.

Was less for me. 9am-2.45pm at primary. My children have school 8.50am-4.15pm

I remember when they changed the length of lunchtime in the mid 80's so we could go home earlier

Juniors - up to 1980 , finished at 3.45pm
Senior - finished at 3.55pm ( 8 X 30 min lesson), then school changed to 3.35pm 1980-1987

Primary School 9am - 3:45pm.

Then moved towns.

First School 8:45am- 3pm
Middle School 8:50am- 3:30pm
High School 8:30am- 3:30pm

I think my junior school (70's) finished at 3.45 but we had morning AND afternoon break, along with an hour for lunch.

At secondary school we didn't have the afternoon break and finished much earlier! DD's junior school is 8.55 - 3.15 (no afternoon break there either).

Infants 1970-73, 8:55am-3:30pm, 2×15 minute breaks. 1hour lunch
Juniors 1973-76, 8:50am-3:40pm, 2x15 minutes break.1 hour lunch
Secondary up to 1981, 8:40-2:40, 1×20 minute break, 40 minutes lunch

Primary; 9-3.30
Secondary; 9-4 and 4.30 in year 10 & 11

Mid 60s through to early 70s - 3.10 for juniors & 3pm for the Infants

I was in primary from 1972 until 1978 and the hours were 9-3:30 with 12:00-1:30 lunch break. We had 15 minute breaks in the morning and afternoon.

Secondary was 8:40-3:40. We had a 20 minute break in the morning, an hour at lunch and no afternoon break.

I was at primary school from 66 to 73 () in Scotland and the school hours were 9 to 4 with a 15 minute break in both morning and afternoon and an hour (I think) for lunch. Lots of kids went home for lunch.

I was teaching from 1964, and we finished at 3.30 (Infants), 4pm (Juniors).

My child was at Primary from 1970 onwards and the above times were the same.

When I started teaching at a new school in the mid-seventies, the above times were the same, but by 1977, the whole school finished at 3.30, to avoid parents having to hang around for half-an-hour for Junior siblings.

There was a set number of teaching hours for each group of children, infant, junior and secondary. Start times and finish times could vary as could lunch-breaks. It would be highly unlikely for each school to be identical!

2:55 for infants
3:25 for juniors
4:00 for seniors.

Scotland in the 80's

Infants P1-3
9.00-3.00 I am fairly sure they had longer for lunch
Upper school P4-7
9.00-3.00 on Mon, Wed, Fri.
9.00-4.00 on Tue,Thur with extra 15min break

Secondary
9.00-3.30.

It's interesting how many primary schools had/have different finishing times for Infants and Juniors.

The two schools I have experience of (the one I went to in the 60s/early 70s and the one ds went to in the 00s) had the same finishing time for both.

The only difference was that the P1s were half days for the first month or so for ds, although I believe even that has now been shortened (to less than a fortnight?)

Infants 3.45 and juniors 3.50
In winter it was dark walking home and we all had high via arm bands!