Proposed longer days

[BeingATwatItsABingThing]

Can I preface this by requesting that this does not turn into a teacher bashing thread please!

www.tes.com/news/exclusive-8am-6pm-extended-school-day-table?fbclid=IwAR38Yzx74z2xuATlA8L9XmWFWzyiq1K47j3UaFCYHGyLb79rjeG9kWgXUeA

I’ve just seen this this morning. If this comes into fruition, I will be leaving teaching. I can only just cope with my workload with our school day as it is (8:35 - 3:15). I spend hours every night marking and prepping for the next day and I spend at least one weekend day catching up with planning and marking before I even think about catching up on housework and life admin. My children get a really raw deal from me being a teacher and I don’t have any more time I’m willing to take from them.

They’re suggesting making the days 30 minutes longer and optional 8am - 6pm days. We have an early finish on a Friday to recoup some costs from our ridiculous budget cuts and the article says they would want to get rid of those.

Even if I think about this from a parenting perspective, I don’t want my DDs in school any longer than they already are.

What are other teacher’s thoughts?

The problem is that with making it voluntary, the only people who will attend/benefit are those who don’t really need the extra support.

Compulsory will mean the additional teaching reaches those it needs to.

When I was at school (not all that long ago) the school day was 8:45-4:10. I don’t really see the issue.

I teach outside the UK but it was my understanding that there's a serious retention problem in the English teaching system? Who are they expecting to actually teach the children? I know that if the State tried to cut my holidays or increase my hours, I'd seriously consider leaving. And I don't have to do a quarter of the BS that English teachers put up with.

Seems like cutting off their nose to spite their face.

I’ve just asked for this to be moved to staff room which is where I intended to post it to begin with. 🤦‍♀️

As a primary teacher I totally agree with you op! I work 4 days a week to help with workload and I certainly would not be volunteering.

My daughter is tired enough (9yo) without adding to it by extending the day

@SionnachRua

I teach outside the UK but it was my understanding that there's a serious retention problem in the English teaching system? Who are they expecting to actually teach the children? I know that if the State tried to cut my holidays or increase my hours, I'd seriously consider leaving. And I don't have to do a quarter of the BS that English teachers put up with.

Seems like cutting off their nose to spite their face.

There is a massive retention crisis in this country. So many amazing teachers I trained with or worked with in previous years have given it up in favour of their mental health. I have seriously considered quitting many times.

My guess is they’ll expect us to do the extra hours. Comments I have read on threads about this post are UK teachers saying we should all refuse to do work outside of our contracted hours.

Pre COVID our school day was 8:50 to 3:10, to enable staggered starts and finishes classes start between 8:30 and 9 and end between 3 and 3:30 so the extra half hour wouldn’t necessarily bother me too much (so long as I get paid accordingly for that extra time!) but I won’t be volunteering myself from 8-6 and my ds won’t be at school till that time of night either - he’d be doing a longer day than Dh!

My guess is they’ll expect us to do the extra hours. Comments I have read on threads about this post are UK teachers saying we should all refuse to do work outside of our contracted hours.

I think work to rule would be the only way to crack it alright. No ridiculous planning, no in depth marking, no extra curriculars, no tours out of hours. The issue is (because we have this problem too) is that teachers want the best for their students and they'll find that so hard to do.

A lot of the hours I read about English teachers working to are insane (I say English because I don't know about conditions of the other 3 countries). Working at the weekend? Never ever for me. Sometimes during report card season but otherwise not a hope. You've all done well to tolerate it for this long.

@SionnachRua

My guess is they’ll expect us to do the extra hours. Comments I have read on threads about this post are UK teachers saying we should all refuse to do work outside of our contracted hours.

I think work to rule would be the only way to crack it alright. No ridiculous planning, no in depth marking, no extra curriculars, no tours out of hours. The issue is (because we have this problem too) is that teachers want the best for their students and they'll find that so hard to do.

A lot of the hours I read about English teachers working to are insane (I say English because I don't know about conditions of the other 3 countries). Working at the weekend? Never ever for me. Sometimes during report card season but otherwise not a hope. You've all done well to tolerate it for this long.

We talk to our school about reduced marking and they laugh as they slam the door in our face. They’ve allowed us a no marking day for our mental health. I understand this issue is with my school though...

I absolutely want the best for my class. I will do what I can to ensure they succeed but not at the expense of my mental health or my DDs’ childhood. They both need me too.

Report writing takes over my entire half term. I’m on maternity leave this year and the feeling of not writing reports is unbelievable. Totally makes up for the lack of money.

Thank you MNHQ for moving the thread

I won't be doing a longer day and nor will my child. I'm planning on leaving teaching in the next w years anyway, but if this comes in before (I doubt it will tbh), I'll leave earlier.

I don’t blame you @RuleWithAWoodenFoot

I honestly don’t know how much longer I’ll last in general. I feel a bit stuck though because I don’t know what else I could do without getting a massive pay cut. Whilst we’re hardly flush with cash, DH and I need the money from both of our salaries and I earn more than him.

Three of my family members are teachers in primary schools - two in state and one independent (having previously worked in state). The one at the independent has a school day that runs from 8.15am to 4.30pm, plus works a rota for breakfast club (7.15am start) and after school club (6pm end) plus has to run one after school activity each week. She has to attend compulsory weekend and after school events She has evening marking and weekend prep too BUT is a lot less stressed.

The main difference? She gets paid £15k more than her job in the state sector and can spending her time teaching as opposed to the bonkers other stuff she had to do in state.

I don’t envy any teacher regardless of the type of school they work in, but I don’t think the extra hours are the problem with the proposal - it’s the red tape, box ticking, burdensome admin and low job satisfaction that goes along with the job. If teachers were just allowed to teach as opposed to jump through hoops then perhaps things would be better for them?

I'm leaving the profession in July to work in publishing. I think things are only going to get worse. Been teaching for 20 years.

@Barbie222

I'm leaving the profession in July to work in publishing. I think things are only going to get worse. Been teaching for 20 years.

Oo! What’s the job in publishing if you don’t mind me asking?

@Zodlebud

Three of my family members are teachers in primary schools - two in state and one independent (having previously worked in state). The one at the independent has a school day that runs from 8.15am to 4.30pm, plus works a rota for breakfast club (7.15am start) and after school club (6pm end) plus has to run one after school activity each week. She has to attend compulsory weekend and after school events She has evening marking and weekend prep too BUT is a lot less stressed.

The main difference? She gets paid £15k more than her job in the state sector and can spending her time teaching as opposed to the bonkers other stuff she had to do in state.

I don’t envy any teacher regardless of the type of school they work in, but I don’t think the extra hours are the problem with the proposal - it’s the red tape, box ticking, burdensome admin and low job satisfaction that goes along with the job. If teachers were just allowed to teach as opposed to jump through hoops then perhaps things would be better for them?

The extra stuff we have to do just keeps increasing. The way we record data at the end of big terms is a prime example. Each time there’s ‘just another little bit’ to add to. If you actually add them all together though, the workload has tripled in a year.

What people who say 'my school day is/was longer' don't realise is how lunch breaks have been slashed certainly at secondary. DH's private school finishes at 4, as he is always telling me, but he has far longer holidays and 1 h 15 mins lunch. I'd swap any day. My lunch break is 30 minutes.

I get in at 7.15 every morning to keep on top of things but also to mange stress so I feel ready after having had over an hour to get ready . That is clearly not sustainable if the school day shifted earlier.

he’d be doing a longer day than Dh!

This is clearly what is is all about, hence those hours. It is dressing up childcare as educational/catch up provision.

I wonder how existing childcare providers will respond to this loss of potential income?

@Piggywaspushed

Our lunch break is 45 minutes now to accommodate the short day on Friday. It’s not enough time to get a set of books marked and make sure everything is sorted for the afternoon and actually eat anything.

I wonder how existing childcare providers will respond to this loss of potential income?

I hadn’t even thought of that!

I work in a school and no way would I agree to extending my hours.

Additionally DD is exhausted from secondary school. She needs time away to relax and have fun with her after school hobbies & friends. So equally no way would I allow her to go 8-6.

Extending the school day would impact on my DD’s after school activities. It’s already a rush to feed her and then get her to Beavers (5pm), swimming (4:30pm) and gymnastics (6pm but after her after school football club) and she wouldn’t be happy to give any of them up.

@BeingATwatItsABingThing working from home for a well known online publisher / resource maker! It's less money but will suit me better.

[quote Barbie222]@BeingATwatItsABingThing working from home for a well known online publisher / resource maker! It's less money but will suit me better.[/quote]
I think that’s something I could do. I hope you enjoy it.

I already work 7.30am-6.30pm Monday to Friday, plus one day at the weekends, just to keep on top of it all (Primary KS2).

My school day has been lengthened by 40 minutes to take account of staggered starts/finishes, and I am on duty for both morning and afternoon breaks every day due to Covid bubbles.

The lunch break is 50 minutes, but since the children eat in my classroom (Covid again) I actually only get 20 minutes without them being there. Our staff room is closed and there is nowhere else for me to go unless I go and sit in my car.

If the school day is lengthened further, I have no idea how I will cope with the workload. I am hanging by a thread as it is. And that's before we've even considered what effect such a long day would have on the children.

@HarrietDVane

I’m sorry you’re having such a hard time of it. It’s not acceptable.