Longer School Day

[eve1974]

Boris Johnson backs longer school day – 'It's the right thing to do'

I disagree. Kids need chill out time too. As adults we forget that learning can be hard work.

What say you?

[barry1010]

My school day was 08:50 to 16:00 but I did have an 80 minute dinner time, probably because most of us went home.

[davebro]

We did 9-4 with an hour for lunch. 4 periods in the morning & 3 in the afternoon. With assembly & moving around between classes I'm surprised at how much teaching they actually managed to cram in.

[derekpara]

As a PE teacher and Head of Year in a boys' secondary school, with responsibility for staff cover, I was always in by 7am ready to contact supply agencies for replacements to be in by 8 - 8.30 and briefed for the day ahead.

When the school day finished at 3.45 I took games training and clubs three evenings until 6pm. In the Summer term away cricket matches could go on until 8pm. Every Saturday morning during Spring and Autumn was taken up with football matches at home and away.
In Spring half term a colleague and I would give up our holiday to take fifteen or so Year 9 pupils for a week's outdoor pursuits to PGL in Wales ( and on only one occasion did I get a thank you from a grateful parent for looking after their son for a week.)
As I also taught a second subject at least an extra six hours a week was taken up with prep and marking.
Long Summer holidays ? First week goes on clearing away, stock taking, receiving supplies and preparing for next term. The last week went on final preparations. staff and departmental meetings, lesson planning etc.

A longer teaching day may be a good idea under the present circumstances but I'm glad I'm retired and won't be involved!

[aelmpvw]

we had evening classes in the sixties when the gce exams were due, didn't do me any harm and kept me out of mischief

[Peter Pedant]

what worker gets six weeks off?

er I think that the q is about length of day and not length of holiday

and yeah I am not sure what yapping after 1600 will do for the kids.
Adult learning - eastablished that you do a little and often and have rest periods

Times Obit - a knob who read ( and published ) on Dante which he read for 16 h day - wow

[Peter Pedant]

// we had evening classes in the sixties//
blimey we didnt !
nothing after 1600

amazed at DerekPara day - our games master was like Brian Glover in kes - which was an intentional parody

[naomi24]

It could work for children in towns who go to school locally, and that would be beneficial to working parents, but many children in rural areas have long journeys - some an hour or more each way. Coming home late for them, especially on dark winter nights, isn’t really a good idea.

[youngmafbog]

I had to travel 10 miles each way to go to school - thats private education for you! did me no harm, I travelled on my own from 8 years, school day was 9:00 to 16:00 and we had prep (homework to the plebs) for the next days schooling.

It wont hurt kids to learn what hard work is. Too many are too soft these days.

[ichkeria]

… but your actual school day was 7 hours which is barely any longer than the day now :-)

[jourdain2]

School days usually include P.E./Games times as well as breaks. I, personally, think that 1 hour lessons (which have become the norm)are too long. Multum in parvo etc.. 45 mins. is, I have found, the best for concentration and learning. I don't see anything wrong with extending the school day to, say 4.00p.m., on that basis. That was the norm when I went to school and as a teacher I often found that 1 hour was too long to hold interest and concentration.