The government are proposing that schools should be open from 8am til 6pm, to help provide childcare for working parents.

What do people think? Personally I think 10 hours is a long time for a young child to be at school, and the best people to look after children are parents, or grandparents.

I also realise that it's not always practical for parents to look after children, but will this be childcare subsidised from my taxes?

More information: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/3635572.stm

Don`t mind after-school extra sport but not all day, would not work.

Teachers or carers would be going mad.

Is this all schools even secondary schools. Yet another government idea that will not work.

I wonder what kind stuff the kids would be doing outside of the hours they attend now, will it be longer lesson time or before/after school activities either way it means young kids doing more hours than most people work. not fair me thinks, and is it legal under the human rights act?
Can`t see teachers going for it anyway

I work full time and have a son in primary school and I think that the proposal to extend the school day is a bad idea.

My son is shattered after a day that finishes at 3.45, even more so if he has an after school club. Add onto that playtime, meal time, homework and family time it all adds up to a long day.

IMO its unfair to make young kids stay at school for such a long day. And even if they do open until 6pm, there will be the parents that work until 6pm that want someone to look after their kids until 6.30 or 7.00. Next thing they'll be suggesting schooling by shifts to fit in with all working parents.

If this does go ahead and the school is to be used as an afternoon babysitting service for parents who work then they should be charged for the service.

My daughter does, Basketball on a Tuesday, Athletics on a wednesday and Football on a thursday for an hour after school.

I think this is enough for now.

Some schools already run breakfast clubs and after school clubs. I don't think it's fair to burden the teachers with extra work but if seperate staff could be brought in to run the before and after school sessions I think it would be a huge bonus.

It would make sense for a lot of parents, less running about and knowing their kids were safe in a familiar environment is always a bonus.

Kids don't do school work at after school clubs or breakfast clubs, its more like holiday playcare with structured activities or free play.

Under the proposals, attending the extra hours would be voluntery and "activities" would be done rather than school work. I assume this means sport, games, craftwork and things like that.

I expect extra staff will have to be employed so I hope parents are charged for sending their children.

i would agree to it for primary schools and nurseries but not for secondry due to the fact that no one would stay untill 6. and if the school was open till 6pm it would all be vandalised.

They have a hard enough time keeping them in school after registration at 8.55am so they have no chance of teenagers staying till 6pm.

Originally posted by rosie
They have a hard enough time keeping them in school after registration at 8.55am so they have no chance of teenagers staying till 6pm.

It depends on the kids. We have many after-school activities that run until 5.45pm.

I think the idea is one of those bandied about by a minister who knows very little. Two other ones that we have scoffed at recently are:

"An interactive whiteboard in every classroom in every school". The government is setting aside a huge chunk of money to buy these boards (at around £800 each). What they've not factored into the cost is the required projector and PC, which will triple the cost.

"Classroom assistants standing in for absent teachers". A scheme where part qualified staff will sit in for a class if a teacher is ill. Teachers get £18000+. Support staff get anywhere between £8000-£12000. Kids always play up for a qualified substitute teacher - how are they going to behave for someone with no knowledge of a subject they are supposed to be 'teaching'?

Bleh, yet more proof the Government don't know what they're on about :loopy:

And no kid these days would even be willing to work those kind of hours in school.... Especially if it means missing the tea time showing of Neighbours :lol:

Originally posted by Rich
Bleh, yet more proof the Government don't know what they're on about :loopy:

And no kid these days would even be willing to work those kind of hours in school.... Especially if it means missing the tea time showing of Neighbours :lol:

Rich, do you have kids in school, and if so have you asked them what they think of the proposals?

I think it is a good idea... I don't think the idea is that the government are going to force kids to stay extra hours. Our local nursery/primary school is already doing a similar thing... and it is popular with the kids. The extra hours do not consist of extra "school work" and, as far as I know, the funding doesn't come out of taxes. Funding for the extra activities comes from a variety of sources, including donations from a well-known bakery.

I have an hour's bus journey to school, and considering the traffic at this proposed time, up to 2 hours home. Including having to get up at 6 in order to leave at 7 for the bus, and including the bus home, I'd be working a 13-14 hour day!!!

I think this is all part of some deep undercover government plot to make us work more. Soon they'll be suggesting that babies be taken away at birth and brought up in some Government run Child Rearing Facility in deepest Leicestershire so that the the parents can work straight away, no great loss to the economy with all those pesky new mothers taking maternity leave etc. :wink:

Or is my imagination just overactive?

I do think this is a very good idea for working parents... but its a very long day on the Children... unless they dont work for the full day...

Say finish school work at 3.30pm have a play time or some kinda break til say 4.00pm

From 4.00pm Children can do what they like... choosing 3/4 things to do from a selection of activities... or they may choose to do their home work... the child would do what they choose for the rest of the time... till getting picked up by their parent/s this way the children would have had a working day with extra playtime...

So it causes less stress for the parent/s of picking the children up at 3.00/3.20pm then going home keeping them entertained before starting tea...

Could prove to be a good idea...

This would just mean every school up to and including secondary school right? Cause I don't want extra hours in college/6th form!

I doubt this proposal would work because what about the teachers opinions? Many of them carry on with marking at school after the students have left, leaving at around 5/6ish.

With the new proposal they wouldn't have time to their marking and have their own personal time.

Crap. Dreamed up with the career-minded mummy and daddy in mind. Mummy drops little Chablis off at school and then goes and has her daily portion of career, then daddy collects her ten hours later.

Get the picture? Both mum and dad will be able to earn obscene salaries and dump their little designer kids off on already overworked shoolteachers while they do it.

overworked school teachers havnt they just had seven week off , my heart bleeds for them.

Originally posted by Rich
Bleh, yet more proof the Government don't know what they're on about :loopy:

And no kid these days would even be willing to work those kind of hours in school.... Especially if it means missing the tea time showing of Neighbours :lol:

You're missing the point Rich. Any kid doing these extra hours will be doing so on the orders of their parents, not the Government or the school.

Wondering though, if it's free, how many of these parents will be dumping their kids for a couple of hours whilst they go for a pint.

Originally posted by markham
You're missing the point Rich. Any kid doing these extra hours will be doing so on the orders of their parents, not the Government or the school.

Wondering though, if it's free, how many of these parents will be dumping their kids for a couple of hours whilst they go for a pint.

But Teachers get paid to TEACH not babysit kids while their parents are down t'pub getting rat arsed.

Originally posted by brooksy
overworked school teachers havnt they just had seven week off , my heart bleeds for them.

It is a very demanding job and they deserve their holidays as far as I'm concerned.

Anyway, that was not my point. My point was that the longer hours are designed to help people to earn more money and dump off their kids for free whilst they do it.

They shouldn't have kids if they're not prepared for a little hardship.

Originally posted by Patchy
Funding for the extra activities comes from a variety of sources, including donations from a well-known bakery.

But shouldn't the funding (means tested) come from the parents who make use of this 'babysitting' service. The thought of a couple of parents dumping their kids for free in order to earn £40k+ between them seems wrong to me.

By the way, I DO appreciate that there are parents out there who NEED to work these hours to survive. And then there are those who DON'T need to, but do it anyway rather than see much of their kids.