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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

Does your junior school have an afternoon break?

18 replies

debs40 · 08/03/2010 22:22

My son moves up to year 3 in his primary school next academic year.

I understand that they do not have an afternoon break/playtime. Is this usual? It sounds hard going for 7 year olds.

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carocaro · 08/03/2010 22:59

DS1 is in year 3 and they have just scrapped afternoon play, I posted a thread about it somewhere a few weeks back, on the concensus was that it was common practice.

DS has barley noticed, I think with the poor cold weather. It's a the teachers discretion and come the Spring/Summer I am sure they will be out more!

PixieOnaLeaf · 08/03/2010 23:05

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

TheFirstLady · 08/03/2010 23:05

No, our school doesn't. But lunchtime is quite late so the afternoon session is less than two hours. You may find it is the same at your DS's school.

NoahAndTheWhale · 08/03/2010 23:06

The school DS and DD are at goes up to year 4. I think the KS2 children have afternoon break twice a week. KS1 and Reception have it every day.

colie · 08/03/2010 23:39

The school Dd is at has afternoon break. 20 minutes I think. Her school day is 8.55-3.30pm.

She is moving school in a few weeks and there is no afternoon break. Haven't told her yet as she only goes to school in order to get the play times . Both schools have the same breaks for all the children in their school, whether they are infants or junior.

Though new school is only 9.00-3.00.

Clary · 09/03/2010 00:53

No, no break in the pm here.

TBH having worked this term in the infant school, it's a bit of a faff in the afternoon:

In 1.15pm, get em all sorted, some learning and play (this is FS2 btw); fruit 2pm; ready for play; play 2.15pm to 2.30pm; back in for more learning (about half an hour); start getting ready for home at 3.15!

An afternoon in the juniors (which I have also been doing) is much calmer in comparison - in 1.15pm, an hour of this, an hour of that and ready for home. They are fine as far as I can tell.

deaddei · 09/03/2010 08:54

No break here. Seems to work ok.

bellavita · 09/03/2010 08:56

In our primary, afternoon break was scrapped a long time ago for Key Stage 2. Key Stage 1 still have theirs.

lovecheese · 09/03/2010 09:27

Afternoon break scrapped about 18 months ago and TBH dont think my two are bothered, after all they dont come back in until 1.20 after lunch, and school finishes at 3.20, and as Clary points out its a bit of a faff getting everyone to the cloakroom for coats/hats/gloves on, troop out, play, troop back for coats/hats/gloves off, and then trying to settle them down again for another lesson.

titchy · 09/03/2010 10:19

No afternoon break for KS2 here either. The KS2 kids have lunch later - 12.30 to 1.20 I think. By the time they're all back from lunch there's only an hour and a half till home time.

WalnetCake · 09/03/2010 10:21

School finishes at 3.00pm, no afternoon break for KS1 even!

mankyscotslass · 09/03/2010 10:25

No afternoon break here for Juniors, apart from "goldentime" on a Friday.

nettie · 09/03/2010 10:30

Common practice now I'm afraid. I hate it our school is a new build and very eco friendly ie. it heats up like an oven. All the upstairs coming running out in just there polo shirts at home even in this weather, because it's like a greenhouse. It was even worse when it was snowy because they got no breaks and the children that have packed lunches didn't even get to go downstairs to the dining hall because they eat in classroom, so they just sat and stewed all day

Sorry, rant over

Afternoon play thing of the past!

Original poster

debs40 · 09/03/2010 11:09

Thanks, it seems like common practice.

School have lunch between 12 and 1 (infants eat first) but everyone is back in class by 1. School finishes at 3.15.

This seems like quite along time but then DS does have particular problems - he has Developmental Coordination Disorder and tires very easily.

Will have to see what school say about allowing him a break at some point

OP posts:

Original poster

debs40 · 09/03/2010 11:28

Thanks, it seems like common practice.

School have lunch between 12 and 1 (infants eat first) but everyone is back in class by 1. School finishes at 3.15.

This seems like quite along time but then DS does have particular problems - he has Developmental Coordination Disorder and tires very easily.

Will have to see what school say about allowing him a break at some point

OP posts:

gorionine · 09/03/2010 11:34

Our school used to have a different finish time for infants and juniors.

Infants would come out at 3:15 and juniors at 3:30. Some parents complained that it was unpractical to keep it that way and as a result the juniors now do finish at 3:15 but they do not have an afternoon break anymore.

I suppose in special circumstances like your sons they will manage him a little break, they might do it when he need it rather than at a predetermined time though.

haggisaggis · 09/03/2010 11:52

My school doesn't have an afternoon break at all - they are in from 9 - 3, about 40 minutes for lunch so back in again after lunch around 1 p.m. THey have always though done activities taht need less concentratin in teh afternoon if they think tehy are getting tired - and make good use of teh outside space. So in P1 dd (has dyslexia an dmild dcd) would maybe spend some time in the afternoon doing a jigsaw or running round the playground. Now she is older they still manage to pace things (may be do group activities in the p.m.) so she is not totally exhausted by lack of break.

Northumberlandlass · 09/03/2010 12:39

In DS school only reception have an afternoon break, Yr1 work through.
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