UK schools

Our day was very similar to ksand's, our uniform a bit stricter, no trousers, no polo shirts, tie everyday, no cardigan, crested v-neck jumper and crested blazer...and a...straw boater  

Uniform was super strict, although girls rolled their skirts up at the waist to make them shorter outside of school, they would measure how long it was, with a ruler.
They'd internally suspend you if you had an undercut haircut (boys) or dyed your hair an "unnatural" colour, they'd send you to the office to wash your face if you had make up on. But you know, people did all of those things, just got noticed sometimes and took a detention or whatever!  I liked the uniforms actually, meant I never had to think about what I was wearing and it made it really difficult to tell who was rich/poor/fashionable etc .

Homework wise, it was a rota, so different things on different days, there was a lot, but I might be insane and did much more than needed.

We were never allowed to leave school grounds during school hours as my school had no sixth form. Also there was no where to go!

t depends on the school, but usually the school day is split into 5 or 6 lesson periods, with a morning break of about 20 minutes and a lunch break of about an hour.

The structure of the day at my secondary school has changed in the last few years, but when I was there, it was:

08.45 - 09.05: Registration
09.05 - 09.55: Lesson 1
09.55 - 10.45 :Lesson 2
10.45 - 11.05: Break
11.05 - 11.55: Lesson 3
11.55 - 12.45: Lesson 4
12.45 - 13.40 Lunch
13.40 - 14.00: Afternoon Registration
14.00 - 14.35: Lesson 5
14.35 - 15.30: Lesson 6

Yes, the classes are usually all in different places, so unless you have a double lesson, you will move rooms or buildings for each lesson (i.e. English lessons in the English building, French in the French department, Science in the Science Block, Drama in the Drama building etc.)

Are you allowed any time to get to each classroom? If the classes all start as the last ended how do kids make their way from each class to the other?

I ask because my 11 yr old has 4 minutes between classes and sometimes even that is not feasible. Especially for one, the teacher expects them to come to class having already done all personal business, so that means you have to make your way out of class, go to the locker, maneuver around all the other kids trying to do the same thing, get the necessary books, use the bathroom (she does not like to allow it during class) and make your way all the way to the other classroom. It seems crazy to me.

I really like the uniform idea and really like what was mentioned about how easy it makes back to school shopping. I just didn't like having to drive all over the earth trying to find the right bits and pieces. But I love the idea of uniforms, problem is my girls will not be happy with that for sure. Oh well. *snicker*

So for those of you who talked about when you were in school would you mind saying about how many years ago that was so I can get a sense of if it might be the same now?

Are you allowed any time to get to each classroom? If the classes all start as the last ended how do kids make their way from each class to the other?

I think those start times factored in time to get from one classroom to another - they don't start the class until everyone is present anyway. Plus, in year 7 you had all your classes with the same people anyway (your 'tutor group'), so the entire class moved from one room to the next.

I ask because my 11 yr old has 4 minutes between classes and sometimes even that is not feasible. Especially for one, the teacher expects them to come to class having already done all personal business, so that means you have to make your way out of class, go to the locker, maneuver around all the other kids trying to do the same thing, get the necessary books, use the bathroom (she does not like to allow it during class) and make your way all the way to the other classroom. It seems crazy to me.

Didn't quite work the same way in my school because you just carried all your books for the day in your bag, so it was a case of leaving one classroom, walking to the next one and sitting down in your seat, and you usually had to wait until break or lunch to go to the bathroom. I hardly even went to my locker at all, because there was often nothing in there anyway (except my PE kit, which I only brought into school once a week).

In the case of the science labs, you weren't allowed into the classroom without a teacher present anyway, so most of the time you had to line up outside until the teacher came to unlock the door... and sometimes they were late themselves.

Bear in mind that everyone is in the same boat - the kids usually move between classes together, so it's not like anyone gets left behind, and often the teachers move rooms as well, so you have to wait for them too.

So for those of you who talked about when you were in school would you mind saying about how many years ago that was so I can get a sense of if it might be the same now?

I was in school from 1994 to 2001 (age 11-18). From what I can tell, the school structure hasn't changed that much since then... other than the timing of the lessons changing slightly and the uniform becoming more relaxed.

My school is exactly the same, I know this for sure because my niece (who's 12) is now going there. Also my sister who is 13 years older than me went, and apparently it's still the same as when she went there! So I left 15 years ago, my sister 28 years ago and my niece is there now, 30 years of it being pretty much identical!

So for those of you who talked about when you were in school would you mind saying about how many years ago that was so I can get a sense of if it might be the same now?

Much of what has been set is still true - based on the state school our two children attend at the moment.

The timings are less typical I would say:
Start 8.30am, Finish 2:30pm. 10min mid morning break and 20 min lunch break.
After 2.30 there are after school clubs and homework clubs for those that want them.
Can't say I'm a fan of the early finish and shorter break, but this particular school has always run this way.

They move from classroom to classroom for different subjects. Initially as a whole form class, but after year 7 each child will go to different classes for most subject based on what stream they are in for that subject.
As far as I know they carry all there books with them for the whole day - but they do have lockers for things like PE kit etc
Uniform is black shoes and trousers/skirt with white shirt and specific school tie and blue jumper top (usually with school crest on). The last two years the school has swung back to being much stricter on dress code / no make-up / length of skirts / wearing ties properly etc.
Many schools sell second hand clothing  - usually the Parent-Teacher associations to raise money. Uniform is usually widely available from local shops (although small kid(girl) driven 'must have' slight design modifications can make it harder unless you put your foot down).

The only "clothing" discussion we have is what coat is "fashionable" for use on wet/colder days. The majority around us walk to school on their own (secondary school level).

ksand24, I would have loved an hour for lunch in secondary school.  We had 20 minutes - so by the time you made it through the queue, you had to scoff it very quickly and move onto the next class. And the first lunch sitting was at 10:30 am, next one at 11:15 and the last one at 12:00. So usually you weren't even hungry unless you had the last lunch seating your in your schedule.  Certainly no leaving school grounds for us either, like all the kids around here do!

(I am really sure this was not the norm, just my school's crazy way of fitting everything into your day)

We had 25 minutes and depending on the schedule, lunch would be sometime between 10:35 and 12:00. When my mom attended my high school, they were allowed to leave school grounds for lunch, but they had stopped that by the time I went there, but it was a big deal if you turned 18 during the school year because you could sign yourself out of school and no one could stop you. I only did that once though.  

Anyway, our school day started at 7:20 and we were done at 2:15 PM, so I usually had a snack at lunch and then had my actual lunch when I got home. To be honest, I'm happy lunch was short because it meant we got out of school sooner.

Anyway, our school day started at 7:20 and we were done at 2:15 PM, so I usually had a snack at lunch and then had my actual lunch when I got home. To be honest, I'm happy lunch was short because it meant we got out of school sooner.

Yeap, we started at 7:15 and were done by 2:05 - I have always been a morning person, even as a teenager, so I never minded- and I would love to finish work at 2:05, that's still a whole day left!! 

ksand24, I would have loved an hour for lunch in secondary school.  

We had an hour at my school.  We used to go to my friend's house down the road and watch 'All My Children'!