I have a daughter in 1st class who is of at 3pm and her under sister is in senior infants but is of at 2pm.So after getting home after the first pick up we are nearly straight back out for the 3pm pick up.I have spoken to other parents and they have similar experience's in different schools.Why can't they all be off at 3pm surely one extra hour should be straight forward to accommodate parents.
Children off at different times in primary school
- Thread starter dodo
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z103
Guest
Re: Children of at different times in school
What times do they start school? When I was living in Dublin, I often thought that school start times should be staggered, and none at 9:00am.
What times do they start school? When I was living in Dublin, I often thought that school start times should be staggered, and none at 9:00am.
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Blueberry08
Guest
Re: Children of at different times in school
Is that a school's function, to accommodate parents? I reckon 9-2 is long enough a day for a senior infant - it was too long in my day.
Is that a school's function, to accommodate parents? I reckon 9-2 is long enough a day for a senior infant - it was too long in my day.
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fintans
Guest
Re: Children of at different times in school
This might make sense on paper but shows a touching naivety on the part of the OP about how the public sector unions would view 'one extra hour' to accommodate parents. If only things were that simple!!
How would the OP feel if their employer or their spouses employer came in on a monday and ordered them to do an extra hour every day - well maybe you see the problem with your suggestion....
This might make sense on paper but shows a touching naivety on the part of the OP about how the public sector unions would view 'one extra hour' to accommodate parents. If only things were that simple!!
How would the OP feel if their employer or their spouses employer came in on a monday and ordered them to do an extra hour every day - well maybe you see the problem with your suggestion....
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Blueberry08
Guest
Re: Children of at different times in school
Very true, but shouldn't the kids be the first consideration here, not the inconvenience suffered by parents? To repeat the old chestnut, schools aren't creches.
Very true, but shouldn't the kids be the first consideration here, not the inconvenience suffered by parents? To repeat the old chestnut, schools aren't creches.
Re: Children of at different times in school
Sorry I should have said that even though some teachers teaching hours are 9.30-2pm they still have to stay there until 3pm until all the classes go home.The official working hours are 9.30-3pm for all teachers in the school so this is why I have a bee in my bonnet.
Sorry I should have said that even though some teachers teaching hours are 9.30-2pm they still have to stay there until 3pm until all the classes go home.The official working hours are 9.30-3pm for all teachers in the school so this is why I have a bee in my bonnet.
Re: Children of at different times in school
Hasn't it always been the case that the infant classes finish an hour earlier than the rest of the national school classes. The teachers always had to stay on until the later finish time.
It makes sense that the day is shorter for infants classes, it is why in the first few weeks of junior infants the day increases from 2 hrs to 4.5 hrs.
Convenience for parents is not on the agenda.
Past 30
Hasn't it always been the case that the infant classes finish an hour earlier than the rest of the national school classes. The teachers always had to stay on until the later finish time.
It makes sense that the day is shorter for infants classes, it is why in the first few weeks of junior infants the day increases from 2 hrs to 4.5 hrs.
Convenience for parents is not on the agenda.
Past 30
Re: Children of at different times in school
I agree with junior infants having an hour less but this is also for senior infants who already have a full year under their belt.Well I think they should think also of the parents, as we know people are most stresssed in everyday life and if we can stop this happening in our society where possible then all the better. Parents less stressed make for a happier family environment for the children we so dearly love.So that in itself has to be a good thing. I see parents who are very stressed by all the traveling in traffic 4 times a day to the school.It also puts extra pressure on gridlock within the area opf the school.
I agree with junior infants having an hour less but this is also for senior infants who already have a full year under their belt.Well I think they should think also of the parents, as we know people are most stresssed in everyday life and if we can stop this happening in our society where possible then all the better. Parents less stressed make for a happier family environment for the children we so dearly love.So that in itself has to be a good thing. I see parents who are very stressed by all the traveling in traffic 4 times a day to the school.It also puts extra pressure on gridlock within the area opf the school.
Re: Children of at different times in school
Do you drive to the school at 2pm, drive home, unload child/ren from car, wait 30 minutes, load child/ren back in car, drive back to school...? Could you go for a walk or something with the other child/ren while waiting the hour?
Do you drive to the school at 2pm, drive home, unload child/ren from car, wait 30 minutes, load child/ren back in car, drive back to school...? Could you go for a walk or something with the other child/ren while waiting the hour?
Re: Children of at different times in school
It rains alot in Ireland so walking not always a good idea and you cant do the walk thing 5 days a week. I just think for the sake of an hour life for many people would become less stressful plus children getting more education thus resulting in a better run Country in years to come
It rains alot in Ireland so walking not always a good idea and you cant do the walk thing 5 days a week. I just think for the sake of an hour life for many people would become less stressful plus children getting more education thus resulting in a better run Country in years to come
Re: Children of at different times in school
When I was a kid in primary, the younger classes got off earlier too, but back in those days, generally what happened was the younger infants who could not be collected for whatever reason, sat in for the hour on the older children's classes until home time.
There were many infants who had to wait under supervision, as it was a rural school with pupils coming from anything from 100 yards to 7 miles away, and many families depended on schoolbuses to bring their kids to and from school, as back in the early 80s many families either had no car at all, or one car which would more than likely be 15 miles or more away with the father at his place of work, with him stuck at work unable to drop everything to go collect the kids, and the mother stuck at home unable to go fetch the children due to either distance or minding other younger siblings etc...
So there was no choice other than to have the younger classes sit in on the older classes until all the classes finished up, and the single school bus that served the entire school arrived to cart the kids off home.
My incredibly longwinded point is to ask - what happens nowadays if there is no-one able to collect the child at 2 pm? Do schools still allow this practice of infants sitting in under supervision, or do they get placed (as we did) sitting quietly at the back of an older class, or are they just turfed out on their ear to fend for themselves for the hour until they are picked up?
Is it all an insurance/supervision issue nowadays, whereas back then the teachers generally didn't mind having the care of extra infants in the classroom as it was the norm and expected?
When I was a kid in primary, the younger classes got off earlier too, but back in those days, generally what happened was the younger infants who could not be collected for whatever reason, sat in for the hour on the older children's classes until home time.
There were many infants who had to wait under supervision, as it was a rural school with pupils coming from anything from 100 yards to 7 miles away, and many families depended on schoolbuses to bring their kids to and from school, as back in the early 80s many families either had no car at all, or one car which would more than likely be 15 miles or more away with the father at his place of work, with him stuck at work unable to drop everything to go collect the kids, and the mother stuck at home unable to go fetch the children due to either distance or minding other younger siblings etc...
So there was no choice other than to have the younger classes sit in on the older classes until all the classes finished up, and the single school bus that served the entire school arrived to cart the kids off home.
My incredibly longwinded point is to ask - what happens nowadays if there is no-one able to collect the child at 2 pm? Do schools still allow this practice of infants sitting in under supervision, or do they get placed (as we did) sitting quietly at the back of an older class, or are they just turfed out on their ear to fend for themselves for the hour until they are picked up?
Is it all an insurance/supervision issue nowadays, whereas back then the teachers generally didn't mind having the care of extra infants in the classroom as it was the norm and expected?
Re: Children of at different times in school
Children in most other countries so not start school until they are 7. There is a very good reason for this. A large classroom with a structured environment is not a fantastic place for a 4, 5 or 6 year old. Making them sit through an extra hour of it for parental convenience would be a very sad indictment of our attitude towards children's welfare.
Children in most other countries so not start school until they are 7. There is a very good reason for this. A large classroom with a structured environment is not a fantastic place for a 4, 5 or 6 year old. Making them sit through an extra hour of it for parental convenience would be a very sad indictment of our attitude towards children's welfare.
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Blueberry08
Guest
Re: Children of at different times in school
Tell me you're kidding.......! If parents are unable to collect their own child from school then they need to hire someone to do it, or else find a reliable friend/family member to do so. It just isn't the job of a school to child-mind for anyone.
Harsh as it may sound...why do people have kids if they are unable to care for them?
** loud applause **
Tell me you're kidding.......! If parents are unable to collect their own child from school then they need to hire someone to do it, or else find a reliable friend/family member to do so. It just isn't the job of a school to child-mind for anyone.
Harsh as it may sound...why do people have kids if they are unable to care for them?
** loud applause **
Bubbly Scot
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I've lived in Ireland for a few years now and I have to say I was really surprised as to how little "accomodating" was done for parents compared to the UK. I'm used to it now but the shorter school days, longer holidays and closing of the school early sometimes with just a days noticed threw me a loop for a while.
Children do not need to start school here until they are six, parents can choose not to put their children into school for infant classes but all children must start school by the time they reach the age required for first class.
I only have experience of two schools in Ireland and I would say that the parents convenience is not something they consider in this regard. Not a complaint btw, it's a fact of life. Take heart that your children are probably recieving one of the best educations, I know mine are and at the end of the day, I will (and believe me I do) put up with just about any "inconvenience" for that.
Children do not need to start school here until they are six, parents can choose not to put their children into school for infant classes but all children must start school by the time they reach the age required for first class.
I only have experience of two schools in Ireland and I would say that the parents convenience is not something they consider in this regard. Not a complaint btw, it's a fact of life. Take heart that your children are probably recieving one of the best educations, I know mine are and at the end of the day, I will (and believe me I do) put up with just about any "inconvenience" for that.
Don't actually think this is true. You don't have to send your children to school at all, but you do have to provide education. They can be educated at home and never attend school at all.
Bubbly Scot
Registered User
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You're quite correct, I edited a line to that effect out of my post because I didn't want to go off on a tangent. The point I was trying to make was that you don't actually HAVE to put your children into school for infant classes, you can chose to wait until first class and then you only have one pick up time