Break times for children

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Waiting_For_Godot
Posts: 1446
Joined: Thu Aug 19, 2010 1:57 pm

Break times for children

Post by Waiting_For_Godot »

Is it illegal for a child to have no break at school? I may (well I currently do but am hoping it will be changed) have a situation arise which means my son will have no break one day. Well he will have ten minutes in the morning but from the end of class he has to make his way to an instrumental lesson so he'll have enough time to go to the loo, and then he has 15mins to stand in a queue for lunch and eat it and get to his next instrumental lesson which runs all through lunch. The latter has happened before but never where both breaks have been impacted. When I've tried to ask for a time table change in the past I've been met by a very defensive brick wall attitude so I'm not hopeful especially as they may argue that he has 25 mins when in reality he does not. :(
faitaccompli
Posts: 357
Joined: Mon Dec 05, 2011 6:44 pm

Re: Break times for children

Post by faitaccompli »

this used to happen twice a week for my DS when he had a singing lesson in morning break and then choir practice during lunch break on one day. the second day he had a speech lesson during morning break and chamber choir over lunch. A couple of time when he had exams over the lunch break for singing a teacher would get him a roll and some pudding as he didn't have time to queue. When you add in football practice for two lunchtmes and after school for A and B team, and morning tennis for team members starting at 7.30am, sometime he started at 7.30am and finished at 5.15pm technically without a break He loved it and often had tennis at 5,30pm on those days ...

I often suggested it was too much but he really did not agree. As long as it is something they really WANT to do, then they simply don't care!
Looking for help
Posts: 3767
Joined: Thu Dec 18, 2008 11:12 am
Location: Berkshire

Re: Break times for children

Post by Looking for help »

Mine has very few breaks in the day again due to music - it's not the lessons, it's the bands that he's in that practice over lunch time. As it is his wish to be in them, he has given up lunch time for them - he has to either bring sandwiches or eat at morning break (the canteen is open then, so he can get something to eat)....but some days when we forget the sandwiches and something else happens at morning break, he can go the whole day with nothing to eat, and then is absolutely starving when he gets home :shock:

Like faitaccompli I have suggested to him that he is in too many things, and maybe he should give some up, he is absolutely adamant that he is fine, and wants to carry on. So then I say...'stop moaning then' :lol:
Waiting_For_Godot
Posts: 1446
Joined: Thu Aug 19, 2010 1:57 pm

Re: Break times for children

Post by Waiting_For_Godot »

But this is not voluntary, nor is it an activity where he is doing sport - that would constitute a break to me as he'd be going ping outside to exercise. My point is that lessons are being timetabled during his breaks and I want to know if there is a legal requirement for him to have a break.
Looking for help
Posts: 3767
Joined: Thu Dec 18, 2008 11:12 am
Location: Berkshire

Re: Break times for children

Post by Looking for help »

Is it individual music lessons - so not strictly school run ?
Waiting_For_Godot
Posts: 1446
Joined: Thu Aug 19, 2010 1:57 pm

Re: Break times for children

Post by Waiting_For_Godot »

It's all organised by the school as they have a time tabling secretary. She does have a lot to juggle logistically but if they stone wall me I want to quote some sort of right. After all they make sure they get their breaks!
Belinda
Posts: 1167
Joined: Thu Nov 08, 2007 10:57 pm

Re: Break times for children

Post by Belinda »

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Last edited by Belinda on Sat Nov 03, 2012 6:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Waiting_For_Godot
Posts: 1446
Joined: Thu Aug 19, 2010 1:57 pm

Re: Break times for children

Post by Waiting_For_Godot »

Ok let me show you his timetable then:

7am registration
7:20 - 8:20am music pracitce: blowing a bassoon for one hour
8:20am breakfast
8:40-10:20am lessons start
10:30-11am singing lesson, at other end of school - its not a compact site.
11-12pm bassoon lesson - how is he supposed to get across the other side of the school lugging two bags without missing at least ten minutes of a lesson which costs £150+ per hour?
12-1pm lessons
1:15-2:15pm bassoon lesson, again at the opposite side of the school.

The only opportunity he has to eat is at breakfast. He can't wolf down a sandwich and then play bassoon, he needs a minimum of half an hour to digest or he'll be sick. In total he has 3.5 hours of intense blowing or singing with no breaks and only breakfast.

Sorry, Belinda, I didn't realise I wasn't allowed to be aggrieved on behalf of my son just because we don't live in a third world country. I mean, isn't everything posted on this site trivial with such an argument? :roll:

And I'm not interested in if you think he should tough it or not. I want to know if children legally must have breaks! :roll:
midlandsmum
Posts: 11
Joined: Tue Oct 13, 2009 11:05 am

Re: Break times for children

Post by midlandsmum »

WFG - I found this http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1999 ... 181_en.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
3.—(1) Subject to paragraph (5), every day on which a school meets shall be divided into two
sessions which shall be separated by a break in the middle of the day unless exceptional
circumstances make this undesirable.
Good luck
faitaccompli
Posts: 357
Joined: Mon Dec 05, 2011 6:44 pm

Re: Break times for children

Post by faitaccompli »

Actually, it is also not quite ideal to stuff down a sandwich and then spend an hour running at full speed.

I am sure he will be fine. My bigger concern is that you are paying £450 a day for bassoon lessons and when does he actually do proper school work? Thank god mine is not particularly talented at anything (other than really winding me up!)
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