School Times / Timetables, what are yours? Options

[janexxx]

As I drove home through Sheffield this afternoon I saw secondary school kids on their way home. Not unusual really but this was at about 2:55. They must have finished at 2:45ish.

In my day (gets out zimmer frame) we finished at 4:00 and then had about 3 hours homework every night. I started to feel hard done to. If I had finished at 2:45, I could have been home for 3, done my 3 hours home work for 6, had my tea and then had all evening free. Instead of which I used to get home for 4:15, then had to do my chores (walk dog, get tea ready) have my tea, start my homework for about 7, finish at 10 and then it was bedtime.

I wondered if maybe these kids had less time at lunch, no breaks, or if they have done away with assembly or somethingl, in order for them to get finished so early. So just so I can compare with the good ol' days (and maybe make me feel better about my lot) what are your timetables like now.

Mine was:

8:50 - 8:55 registration
8:55 - 9:25 Assembly
9:25 - 10:00 Period 1
10:00 - 10:35 Period 2
10:35 - 10:50 Morning break (and a bottle of milk until Maggie Thatcher stopped it!)
10:50 - 11:25 Period 3
11:25 - 12:00 Period 4
12:00 - 13:20 Lunch (and lunchtime clubs and sports)
13:20 - 13:25 registration
13:25 - 14:00 Period 5
14:00 - 14:35 Period 6
14:35 - 14:50 Afternoon break
14:50 - 15:25 Period 7
15:25 - 16:00 Period 8

Sometimes the 35 min periods were doubles so we had 1hr 10min lessons in some subjects

This means we had 4 hours 40 mins of lessons every day

[andante_in_c]

The school my three went to operated a compressed day. They started at 8.30 and finished at 2.30 with two twenty minute breaks during the day. So they tended to get home just after 3.00. I find it useful that there are two local school who use this system, as i can start my private teaching at 3.30 with pupils from these schools. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Car Expert]

My college timetable is:

8:45 - 10:15 Period 1
10:15 - 10:30 Break
10:30 - 12:00 Period 2
12:00 - 12:45 Lunch
12:45 - 14:15 Period 3
14:15 - 14:30 Break
14:30 - 16:00 Period 4

Some of those periods are free (for me it's seven out of twenty), and one of those periods per week is a tutorial. The rest are lessons.


My school timetable looked like:

8:40 - 9:00 Registration
9:00 - 9:55 Period 1
9:55 - 10:55 Period 2
10:55 - 11:15 Break
11:15 - 12:15 Period 3
12:15 - 13:10 Lunch
13:10 - 13:25 Registration
13:25 - 14:25 Period 4
14:25 - 15:25 Period 5

Car Expert

[janexxx]

The school my three went to operated a compressed day. They started at 8.30 and finished at 2.30 with two twenty minute breaks during the day. So they tended to get home just after 3.00. I find it useful that there are two local school who use this system, as i can start my private teaching at 3.30 with pupils from these schools. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

That would have been great. But I guess for those with working parents it's not so good!

[cornetsrule]

My school day is:

8:55 Period 1
9:55 Period 2
10:55 Break
11:10 Period 3
12:00 Period 4
12:55 Lunch
13:35 Period 5
14:45 Period 6
15:40 Home

but then I don't actually get home until 16:20 ish.

[Aquarelle]

My grammar school timetable was very similar to yours janexxx but with only 7 periods - and we finished at 3.30. I was home by 4.15 and like you had tea, did piano practice and homework and was in bed round about 10.

In the college/lycée where I teach a bit of English they start at 8.50. Lunch is at 12.30 and the mid morning break lasts 20 minutes. Afternoon classes are from 1.30 until 5 with a 15 minute break. The day students are collected by parents or go home in the school bus and the boarders have a short break before going into study time. they have their evening meal around 7 and study time continues after that until about 9.30. It varies a bit according to their age. This means for most the school day runs over about 12 hoursfor the boarders.

They are at school Monday and Tuesday. They return home after luinch on Wednesday and come back Thursday morning, leaving again at 5 on Friday. there is nor house system or common room. I don't know how they stand it. Music and any other extra curricular activites are non-starters.

In our junior school the garderie is open at 7.45 though parents have been known to leave their children outside as early as 7.30. Lessons run from 9 until 11.45 with a break of 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the age of the children, the weather etc. Afternoon school starts at 1.30 and finishes at 5 even for the two year olds - again with a 20 to 30 minute break. The garderie remains open until 6.30.

The children are at school Mondays and Tuesdays, no school on Wednesday and back again for Thursday and Friday. This is known as the four day week. Some French schools work four and a half days per week becauese they do either Wednesday or Saturday morning. Schools who do the four day week are obliged to make up their hours by working extra dayq at the beginning or end of terms. Junior school children get quite considerable amounts of homework.

For years the French Ministry of Education has been "concerned "about the length of the school day - but does nothing about it. However it has now been suggested that children in difficulty stay at school until 6 and that teachers volunteer to do overtime to give remedial help. The Ministry have also noticed that France has slipped way down in the European tables for reading and maths achievement. They admit that we are way behind countries with a shorter school day. the latest suggestion from the newly appointed Minsiter for Sport
(ex- trainer of the losing rugby team) that primary school children should have 4 hours of sport per week rather than the present 3. We don't have school halls and many schools have very poor sports facilities.

Our - lot don't get their 3 hours but then as I said, no school hall - and only an asphalt playground. However, Wednesday being the day they don't have school, a lot of them are involved in various sports clubs
(which the Minister for Sport seems to have overlooked.) Quite a few also spend 2 hours on Wednesday mornings at Cathechism classes.

Rant over. There remains the question of when do we fit in a music lesson, let alone the practice?

[Devil_Fiddler]

Mine is:

8:50 Registration
9:00 First lesson
10:00 Second lesson
11:00 Break
11:15 Third lesson
12:15 Fourth lesson
1:15 Lunch
2:05 Registration or assembly
2:20 Fifth lesson
3:20 End of day.

We sometimes have double lessons, but these will be periods 2 and 3 or 4 and 5, so we don't have two hours of continuous lessons.

In fact, I leave the house at about eight in the morning and don't get back until about ten past four, but that comes from my school being in the middle of nowhere (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

[Kiri_flute]

My school day is.....*runs off to find diary planner, cos she only knows the lessons and not the times O_o*

8.50-8.55 Registration
9.00-9.35 Period 1 or Assembly on Monday/Friday
9.35-10.00 Period 2
10.00-10.35 Period 3
10.35-10.50 Break
10.50-11.25 Period 4
11.25-12.00 Period 5
12.00-1.05 Lunch
1.05-1.10 Registration
11.10-1.45 Period 6
1.45-2.20 Period 7
2.20-2.35 Break
2.35-3.10 Period 8
3.10-3.45 Period 9
3.45 HOME!

But like Cornetsrule I dont get home til 4.20

[lucky045]

My school day:

8:40 - 9:00 Registration.

9:05 - 10:05 Period 1

10:10 - 11:10 Period 2

11:10 - 11:30 Break

11:30 - 12:30 Period 3

12:30 - 1:30 Lunch

1:30 - 2:30 Period 4

2:35 - 3:35 Period 5

Around exam times I usually have revision sessions til 5ish, but they're not mandatory.

I leave the house at ten to eight and get home anytime from 4:00 - 6:00 depending on revision sessions etc.

[BerkshireMum]

I'm interested to see that several schools still have about an hour for lunch. The secondary schools in this area have a 20 minute break in the morning and 45 minutes for lunch and activities, which effectively means that if you do clubs at lunchtime it's impossible to have school dinners, and even sandwiches are often not eaten for lack of time. Hence lots of children don't eat properly during the day, which can't be good for their learning.

It does look as if all the secondary schools here have 5 hours of lessons each day, as is the case in our area.
When I was at school we had 5 hours of lessons (over 7 periods) and finished at 4pm, but I appreciated the longer lunch hour, which accommodated eating and clubs.

[Oddball]

Mine is:

8.45 - 9.45 - Period 1
9.45 - 10.45 - Period 2
10.45-11.05 - Break
11.05 - 12.05 - Period 3
12.05 - 13.05 - Period 4
13.05 - 13.40 - Lunch
13.40 - 14.00 - Registration
14.00 - 15.00 - Period 5

The school over the road finishes at 14.35 - purely for the reason that ejecting 3000 kids onto the streets of Trowbridge at the same time would probably be a bad idea...

[Miss Ross]

My timetable:

8.55 – Registration
9.05 – Period 1
10.00 – Period 2
10.55 – Break
11.10 – Period 3
12.05 – Period 4
1.00 – Lunch
1.45 – Registration
1.55 – Period 5
2.45 – Period 6

When I go straight home I get in at about 4.30 (It’s only 6 miles or so but I have to go the really long way!) This term though I get home at either 6 or 7. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

... but I appreciated the longer lunch hour, which accommodated eating and clubs.

I usually have to choose one or the other...throw Prefect duty into the equation and you've just about got time to bite into an apple!

[Soph15]

Mine:

8.45-9.05am - Form/assembly (depending on what day)
9.05-10.05am- lesson
10.05-10.25am- break
10.25-11.25- lesson
11.25-12.25- lesson
12.25-1.35- dinner
1.35-2.35- lesson
2.35- 3.35- lesson
3.35- home

Some of these are silent study or free however.

[Rosemary7391]

In theory, we have:

8 45 - 9 05 Registration
9 05 - 10 05 Period 1
10 05 - 11 05 Period 2
11 05 - 11 25 Break
11 25 - 12 25 Period 3
12 25 - 13 25 Period 4
13 25 - 14 05 Lunch
14 05 - 15 05 Period 5

In practise, it actually takes us 10 minutes to walk from one end of the school to the other, and then there are always the people who walk slowly, or the unfortunates who had to try to deal with stairs ... Stairs with easily 50 kids on them, invariably going the opposite way to yourself, are quite tricky! Wouldn't be so bad if the corridors were wider, but we've 1500 kids and 150 teachers all moving at once. And they always lock the doors.......

[lizbun]

8.45 - 8.55 registration
8.55 - 9.55 1st lesson
9.55 - 10.55 2nd lesson
10.55 - 11.10 break
11.10 - 12.10 3rd lesson
12.10 - 13.10 4th lesson
13.10 - 13.40 lunch
13.40 - 14.05 registration
14.05 - 15.05 5th lesson