Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

New Year 7s - how long is their school day?

56 replies

Dancergirl · 27/09/2012 23:56

My dd has just started Year 7 at a girls indie and its been a big change getting used to the longer day.

She now gets up about 6.40am, leaves the house at 7.30am to get the school coach. Her school day is 8.30am - 4pm (finishes a bit earlier on Fridays) so she doesn't get home till about 4.40pm.

I'm curious to know if this is typical at secondary school.

OP posts:
randomfennel · 28/09/2012 16:38

yr7 leaves home at 8.15, goes by bike, school starts around 8.35, finishes at 3, home by 3.15. It's a very nice short day. They have a short lunch hour but lots of clubs between 3-4 if they like.

I'm a big fan of local schools/workplaces and not commuting, for us and for dc, it's a high priority.

prettydaisies · 28/09/2012 17:12

DD leaves home at 8 to catch the school bus. School starts at 8.40 and finishes at 3. She's home by 3.30 unless doing any clubs.

prettydaisies · 28/09/2012 17:14

This is our local school, but live in a rural area, so hence the bus.

bossboggle · 28/09/2012 17:29

Local senior school - 8.30am - 2.30pm!! Local primary school - 8.45am - 3.05pm. Something wrong somewhere!!
Out of area senior school attended by DS 8.45am - 3.15pm then various after school stuff till 5pm. School bus home at 4pm. Extra school stuff finish 5pm and then home by 5.30pm. Usually zonked afterwards!!

pimmsgalore · 28/09/2012 18:20

My DD's school starts at 8:20 and finishes at 4:45 then she has prep or clubs usually until 6:30 ish. But she is a boarder so she is up at 7am showered and at breakfast in school by 8pm and then back to the boarding house for 7pm and as yr7 girls they have to be in bed by 9pm (although she gets an exemption on fridays as she goes to a local scout troop so doesn't get in until 9:05 and has to be in bed by 9:15). They also have Saturday school from 8:45 until 12:30 then with matches in the afternoon. It is pretty full on and she is always tired when she comes home for weekends or half term.

pimmsgalore · 28/09/2012 18:21

in school by 8 am not pm Blush

Groovee · 28/09/2012 18:24

Dd is in first year which is scottish equivalent. She leaves at 8.10am for an 8.25am start. 6 periods, break about 11 for 15 minutes and a 45 minute lunch, then finishes at 3.30pm and on non club days she's home by 4pm on club days it's 5pm. On a Friday they finish at 12.30pm every week. But she doesn't get in til 3pm as she does gymnastics.

phlebas · 28/09/2012 20:27

dd's day is similar to gazzalw's ds's

  • up at 6:30
  • out of house at 7:10
  • train at 7:22
  • school bus at 8:10
  • school starts at 8:45
  • school finishes at 3:15
  • she's home at 4:45

Has one after school club (home at 6ish) & two evening activities which mean a really quick turn around on those days & she spends one night a week at my parents' house. She's busy but happy - enjoys the travel because she can read on the train & bus :)

School is only 10 miles away but takes an age to drive to & unreliability of the trains Hmm means that she gets a much earlier train than she really needs to avoid risking missing the bus.

Original poster
Dancergirl · 28/09/2012 20:33

propositionjoe she's not doing her hair for hours lol! She's not a morning person (understatement!) so dh has to start waking her at 6.40 so she has time to come to!

Very jealous of all these dc home by 3.45!

OP posts:
bigTillyMint · 28/09/2012 21:57

DS's day is very similar to your DD's,
awake at 6.30
up about 7
leaves at 7.30
school starts 8.40
school finishes 3.10
home 2 or 3 nights 4ish
home 2 or 3 nights (after footy/match/cycling club) after 5.

He is finding it OK. DD struggled more when she was at first in Y7, but was fine by the 3rd term. On the whole!

BackforGood · 28/09/2012 23:49

See, to my way of thinking, if you are not a morning person, I can't understand all these dcs getting up an hour, and hour and a quarter, or even an hour and a alf before they ned to go out Confused.
Both ds and dd are fairly uncommunicative still when they leave the house, but there's time to come to on the journey to school. Every last minute in bed is valuable to them.

bengalcat · 29/09/2012 07:51

Mine gets up at 6 , leaves house 7.10 , school registration 8.40 , school day ends at 4 , home @ 5 . This seems pretty typical .

OddGoldBoots · 29/09/2012 07:55

School is a 15min walk away, it starts at 8.30am and finishes at 3.30pm Mon and Tue and at 2.45pm Wed, Thur, Fri.

There are optional clubs on Wed-Fri nights to take them to 3.30pm if they or parents want. They only have half an hour for lunch though.

gazzalw · 29/09/2012 08:46

BackforGood, DS is a morning person in that he's always been up really, really early (when he was a toddler it was usually at about 4.00 am!) but I tell you that it takes him a full hour to eat breakfast, have a shower and get dressed.....He is awake but not fully-functioning!

Although it seems quite normal for the DCs to have long school days it is a bit sad....DS did badminton club after school the other day and he wasn't home until 6.00 pm! Not so bad at the moment but once the clocks change and they are going to and coming home from school in the dark they will be tired bunnies...

Yes, niece can be home by 3.30 pm which seems a total luxury....

BehindLockNumberNine · 29/09/2012 08:50

Ds is at a large state comprehensive. His school day is 8.40 - 2.30. They get half an hour for lunch. There are a myriad of clubs each day after school which the students are encouraged to take part in. These last until 4.

We live 15mins walk away from the school so Ds leaves the house around 8.20 and is home by 3 on a non-club day, by 4.20 on a club day.

His day is shorter than mine and dd's! (dd is primary school, I am primary school TA)

maggotts · 30/09/2012 00:41

Up at 6.45 and out by 7.15 (like a military operation GO GO GO). After school activities Mon to Thu so normally home about 5.45 but is 7.15 on Weds (and thankfully only 4.45 on Fri). Then homework:( Very tired but won't give up anything although have managed to persuade her to drop one(!!) lunchtime club. But it seems to work and older DD (now Year 12) coped OK. LOVE the hols though - do nothing :)

microcosmia · 01/10/2012 00:52

Up at 6 am. Bus at 7 am. First on bus so first off in eve. Arrives at school 8 am. school 8.30-3.30 but home at 4.

weegiemum · 01/10/2012 01:02

My dd1 is in S1 (scotland). She's older than dc starting in England, she was 12.6 when she started secondary.

Up at 7, leaves house at7.40, 2buses to school. On the odd occasion she still gets the school bus the other 2 are on, the driver doesn't mind.

School is 8.50 - 3.05 on mon, wed and fri, and till 4 on tues and thurs. On early days shes home about 4, on late days about 4.45 She also swims, goes to guides and plays 2 instruments, and at the moment has about an hour of homework a night.

It's not been such a big transition for her as she goes to a specialist bilingual school and the secondary is literally upstairs in the same building.

havinganightmare · 01/10/2012 08:20

Up at 6
Leave at 6.50
Bus arrives back 6.15 home by 6.30. Long long day.
This does includes extra curricular but if there a midweek matches it's 7pm home. Some days homework done at school but 3 nights there is an hour to do and this weekend he'd backed up 4 subjects. But he didn't seem to mind doing it!

We are all absolutely exhausted from new regime but DS loving it - although today he sounds like a cold is starting so roll on half term......

bubby64 · 01/10/2012 12:38

Small state comp - Out door at 7.35 for 10minute walk to catch bus at 7.50, at school for 8.15, bell goes at 8.20. Finish at 3pm, and if coming straight home and not staying for clubs etc and late bus, home by 3.45. They are knackered, as were used to having a 10 minute stroll down to primary and getting there for 9am, finishing at 3.15pm, home by 3.25pm!

bubby64 · 01/10/2012 12:42

If staying on for late bus, which goes around a lot of the villages instead of straight home, they get back at about 5ish, they do this a couple of times a week, plus we have Young Farmers, Scouts, music lessons to do as out of school activities.

Original poster
Dancergirl · 01/10/2012 13:25

There seems to be a trend for a shorter lunch break at a lot of schools. Dds school has a LONG lunch break which I suppose quite good for clubs/library/catching up on homework, but it does make the day longer.

I am looking forward to dds 2 week half term though!

OP posts:
CameronSmith · 19/10/2012 21:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

taktell · 19/10/2012 22:31

DD is a day girl at a boarding school.
Leaves home 7.45.
School day is 8.30 til 4.45 then activities or prep til 6pm.

Cameron don't let this put you off a great school.

DD gets a fantastic education and has lots of fun too. She's tired but in a good way. Most prep done in school time if organised!
She's having a great experience and is thriving there. Nice long holidays to re charge.

LIZS · 20/10/2012 09:16

dd (independent) school day 8:30 to 4:00, actually shorter than her prep was but additional travelling so we leave at 7:40 to meet bus and home just after 4:30, although 2 days she has activities after school and another day she goes to 2 out of school activities

Swipe left for the next trending thread