Hi there
we're taking part in a round table discussion on Simon Mayo show at 1.30 - sparked off by the article below.
There are lots of other folks taking part, so won;t get to say that much - but if anyone had any concise thoughts and opinions to impart I'll do my best to make sure they're represented.
for those that don't have time to read the article - it basically says the govt have said that by 2010 there'll be wraparound care at schools for kids up to 14 running from 8am-6pm to help out working parents.
LOts of folks are up in arms and saying chidren need chill out time and time with family..
For those who do have time here's the article:
From Daily Mail - 05/01/2006 (630 words) News
BY SARAH HARRIS
BRITAIN is in danger of 'sleepwalking' into institutionalised childcare, an expert warned yesterday.
The growth of breakfast and after- school clubs means youngsters spend little waking time with their parents - and may develop an overreliance on authority figures, a study showed.
Dr Christopher Arnold said this could lead to children in 'wrap-around' care developing emotional problems and struggling to do things for themselves.
Long days are often packed with structured school activities, which could make it difficult for children to unwind, he added.
Under Government plans, schools will be able to look after children up to 14 for ten hours a day by 2010.
The 'extended' primary and secondary schools will be open from 8am to 6pm. They will help working parents by providing extra-curricular activities before and after formal lessons.
But Dr Arnold, a senior educational psychologist at Sandwell Council in the West Midlands, asked yesterday: 'Where does this leave relationships between parents and children?
'We could be sleepwalking our way into more institutionalised childcare.'
Speaking ahead of The British Psychological Society's educational and child psychology conference, he added: 'We don't permit adults to be in work environments for more than 48 hours a week, but we are permitting children to be in work-like environments for more than 48 hours a week.
'If they are to be looked after by the state, away from their families, we owe it to them to address the question of what experience of life they should have.'
Dr Arnold said wrap-around care is being expanded although there is little guidance as to what works best.
'There's a risk that if we overinstitutionalise children, then that doesn't bode well for the
future,' he added. 'I think they could become very dependent on that institution. That will not serve children well when they grow up in terms of being able to do things for themselves.'
Dr Arnold studied 100 children aged five to 16 in breakfast and after-school clubs in Sandwell.
Most enjoyed the clubs, but many saw them as an extension of the classroom.
Staff often set structured activities, such as homework, rather than allowing the children to relax and do nothing. Dr Arnold said: 'When you go home from work, often you just chill and do nothing. That's something that's quite different to the culture of school, when children have to be kept busy.'
In the study, a boy of seven said he was 'not at home very much' and a girl of nine said she went to after-school clubs because 'my mum likes time to herself'.
A boy of six said he liked his club but would rather go home, while an eight-year-old girl said she 'missed my mum'.
Dr Arnold said previous research has shown children raised in institutions have more emotional difficulties than those brought up in families.
'Historically, that has been the case. Whether or not that will be the case for extended schools, I hope it won't,' he added.
'For a long time we have been promoting families and family values. We need to make sure we don't buck that trend by creating these long school days.
'The configuration of afterschool clubs needs to reflect domestic life, they must not feel like more classes.'
The Department for Education and Skills said: 'All out-ofschoolhours activities provided by extended schools will of course be voluntary.
'We are not trying to tell parents what to do or make children stay longer at school.
'We want to be able to give parents and children more choice and flexibility about the services that are on offer from schools.'