It drives me crazy.I have a six year old in senior infants finishing at 2 o clock. I have a nine year old finishing at 3 o clock. I have two teenagers in secondary school finishing at 3.30. I spend my most of my day doing school runs as well as working evenings, cooking dinner, homework with kids and usual housework. Why do the smaller kids have to finish at 2.o clock. It drives me crazy. Why can't they finish at 3 o clock. Most families have two parents working and this makes life very awkward. Am I the only one who finds this ridiculous and will it ever change in this country? I know school is not a babysitting service but wouldn't life be a lot easier if all kids finished at the same time and all school holidays were the same for all schools.
Why do infants finish at 2 o clock
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Snork Maiden
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a six hour school day is a long time for four, five and six year olds........Every think of after school care for the little two until 3.30 when you only need to do one trip!
I thought with the introduction of the that this was more or less the case.
Would have to agree with Snork Maiden that it would be a very long day for such young children. Is it totally out of the question for the older ones to walk home?
I think this is part of the answer to your question. This is a very recent phenomenon. At the time these hours were devised, it was normal to have the Mother at home, looking after the kids.
Ain't no way that the teachers are now going to give up working, what is in effect a 3 day week, given the number of hours they are required to be in attendance, and their equally generous holidays, without some mega compensation.
I agree with your sentiments. It needs to change but I don't think it will. I have been in your position in the past. It's not easy. You just have to get on with it. Luckily my children are older now and they can walk to/from school.
Maybe for junior infants six hours is very long but I don't agree that is very long for children in senior infants onwards. I work in the evenings so that I am there during the day for the kids but I spend most of the day chauffering them around. If I am going to have them minded after school I may as well work during the day which I am now considering. As for standardised school holidays the kids can often come home with short notice of days off mostly due to study days taken by teachers. They are allowed a certain amount per year. I know teachers would cause an uproar if hours were to change.
I
irishlinks
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If enough people make a fuss maybe something will change. If you accept it - nothing will change. Write to your TD and/or councillor , write to the Dept of Education. I agree - it is silly to have different times for Infants. Do other countries do this?
My goodness...these little guys have enough after 5 hours! They need to be active not sitting down passively listening to someone dictate to them all day! Children by law do not have to attend formal school until they are 6. As a result junior and senior infants are considered to be somewhat "preschoolers". Research in to early education would indicate that 5 hours of "formal" learning is enough for this age group while older children need more! That is the only reason its happening!
Annoys me that school is often used as a baby sitting service!(not suggesting that anyone here uses it as a babysitting service!!)It's there to promote the holisitc development of the child (or at least it should be)
Picking up children at different times sounds like a real inconvienience....NOT! It's in the best interest of the child for heavens sakes...
By the way ...Teachers are allowed 3 personal days a year if they undertake a summer course. A sub is santioned for this so unless your school is incompetent in gettng a replacement your child should have a teacher for that day...or at least be sent in groups to other classes...
Annoys me that school is often used as a baby sitting service!(not suggesting that anyone here uses it as a babysitting service!!)It's there to promote the holisitc development of the child (or at least it should be)
Picking up children at different times sounds like a real inconvienience....NOT! It's in the best interest of the child for heavens sakes...
By the way ...Teachers are allowed 3 personal days a year if they undertake a summer course. A sub is santioned for this so unless your school is incompetent in gettng a replacement your child should have a teacher for that day...or at least be sent in groups to other classes...
MidlandsBase
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I don't think it was ever envisaged that kids of 4,5 or 6 would have ever been in school for 8 hours a day regardless of whether "the mother was at home looking after the kids". A 40 hour week for these kids!!! I know adults that grumble about doing over 37.5 hours. When my daughter starts in junior infants next year I certainly don't wish for her to spend another 1 or 1.5 hours in school just so it's convenient for me when I collect my 8 year old son.
You answered your own question.
Why do you spend the afternoon chauffering your kids around? Can your older kids not walk, cycle or take a bus?
Unnecessary school runs contribute hugely to traffic problems, as well as promoting a generation of car-dependent kids who then refuse to walk anywhere...
I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset so many people. All I wanted to do was to ask does it drive anyone else crazy with different school finishing times.
I don't expect my child to stay in school for 8 hours a day and I do not see them as unpaid babysitters. I was just looking for opinions. Some of the replies I received are actually from school teachers going by previous posts so they may be bias and are up in arms at my suggestions.
I don't expect my child to stay in school for 8 hours a day and I do not see them as unpaid babysitters. I was just looking for opinions. Some of the replies I received are actually from school teachers going by previous posts so they may be bias and are up in arms at my suggestions.
pernickety
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in france the system seems to cater both for the parents and the kids imo.
From maternelle (pre-school), which is not obligatory btw but used by something like 90% of children, the hours are (it varies by region but similar) 9 to 12 and 1.30 to 4.30. They have a good 1.5 hour lunch break with a proper 3 course meal and lots of playtime, which helps the energy levels (they don't come home from school absolutely wrecked as i've seen by nephew in Irl doing). The smaller ones have a bed available to them for the afternoon.
In primary, which is from age 6, they are expected to do the very same hours, without the sleep. There are afterschool clubs (and before school clubs) which liaise with teachers and keep the kids until after 6pm if necessary.
I can collect my 2 ,and the 3rd when he starts next year, at the same time. I don't think it's too much on the kids, and it's brill for the parents wherever they work. it is something I've heard people moan about (including my mother all those years ago) and i don't think it's unreasonable to ask politicians to co-ordinate times (even primary teachers probably have to juggle when their own kids are at school)
I doubt very much if people are upset about your rant. I'm not a primary school teacher nor a parent but I suspect if I were the latter that that I would not send a child to school before the age of 6 nor would I expect them to spend an industrial day at school.
But that's just me.
Marion
But that's just me.
Marion
purplealien
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A bit harsh Marion!
And don't you think 6 is a bit ol to be going to school - the first 7 years are the most important in a childs life - a child needs to learn how to socialise with children his/her own age. leave it until they're 6 yrs old and you'll have a very introverted yong child. This is my opinion!
A bit harsh?
I don't think so.
All of my youngest (5) nieces/nephews did not go to school until they were at least 5 - granted all of them ( 3 separate families) had a parent at home and they went to play school from age 3/4.
But, I wouldn't regard them as socially deprived. (They are now approx 7)
Marion
I don't think so.
All of my youngest (5) nieces/nephews did not go to school until they were at least 5 - granted all of them ( 3 separate families) had a parent at home and they went to play school from age 3/4.
But, I wouldn't regard them as socially deprived. (They are now approx 7)
Marion
MidlandsBase
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Most French state schools are now working to the four day week with Wednesday remaining free and no school on Saturdays. Primary schools generally have 26 hours per week. Perhaps we parents would still expect the kids to go to school for 5 days a week should a system be introduced in Ireland or would that be also an inconvenience?
Holidays are now being shortened to compensate for the loss of 12 teaching days caused by the adoption of the four day school week. This has caused consternation amongst parents in some parts of France where the traditional September return to school after the long summer holiday has been brought back to the last week of August. And in some areas the summer vacation now starts half way through July – this has resulted in speculation about the need for swimming pools in schools to cool off the kids! I kid you not!!!
In spite of these changes French schools still have some of the longest school holidays in the world, attending school for only around 160 days out of the whole year.
As for having a bed for the little ones some schools have just enough room for the children let alone beds. Whilst not disagreeing with the system in France I think there are a lot more higher priority issues in our schools before this issue could be addressed.
http://www.frenchentree.com/fe-education
ubiquitous
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We have made a conscious decision not to send our kids to school until they are 5 1/2. As far as we can see (and my other half is a teacher who has studied early childhood development at postgrad level), many of the social and behavioural difficulties that some young children face at school are attributable to the fact that they started school at an age when they were not ready for it.
pernickety
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i agree, but is it time to start making demands instead of accepting what was always the case?
i forgot to mention the 4 day week which we love, and the summer hols being only 6 weeks long has its advantages too....
MidlandsBase
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The demands for co-ordinating school finishing times would come way down my list after Teacher - pupil ratios, teaching standards, lack of school facilities, conditions of schools, school discipline, school curriculum, etc. These I would start making demands of.
The Co-ordinating of schools finishing on time would not even come close to any of these - but that's just me.
The Co-ordinating of schools finishing on time would not even come close to any of these - but that's just me.