The Government has indicated it wants to lengthen the school day to raise educational standards. Education reporter Lyn Barton found a hostile reception for the plan here in Bradford.

WORKING NINE to five might be a reality for millions of working parents, but children have traditionally been spared ... until now.

The government has signalled that they want to extend the six-hour school day which has been the mainstay of education in Britain since the turn of the 20th century.

Students usually finish classes around 3pm to 3.30pm and any extra-curricular activities like drama, sports or homework clubs take place afterwards.

But that short school day is now under threat with Education and Employment Secretary David Blunkett saying children as well as adults should be working nine to five - which could mean at least another two hours a day for students.

Mr Blunkett believes a longer school day is the key to raising standards.

But Ian Murch, who represents Bradford on the National Executive of the National Union of Teachers, says that is rubbish.

"It is a complete myth. There has been study after study which says that children don't get anything extra from doing longer days," said Mr Murch.

"There is no correlation between hours and results."

Indeed, there is a real fear that the additional hours could place an undue burden on youngsters already under pressure to get good results.

Mr Murch was angry about the extra burden such a scheme would put on teachers.

On most teachers' payroll slips, it says that they are paid for a 27 and a half hour week.

However, the reality is very different with an independent study by Warwick University revealing that most work a 50-to-52 hour week.

"Teachers already work long weeks," said Mr Murch. "On top of lessons there are extra-curricular activities, marking and preparing for lessons, as well as things like attending parents' evenings."

Stuart Herdson, the post-16 co-ordinator at Salt Grammar School in Baildon and an Executive Member of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, was also opposed to the reform.

He was angry with a suggestion that controversial performance- related pay for teachers could be linked to willingness to take on extra hours.

"Good results depend on the quality of the teaching, not on the length of the school day," said Mr Herdson. "There is a limit to what children can absorb."

Mr Herdson said the plans could prove the final straw for over-burdened young teachers, where morale is already at a low ebb.

"Where you have a young person with their whole life in front of them and they want to have some sort of a social life outside their job, they might just say, 'that's it', I'm leaving teaching."

Jan Lee, a senior teacher at Belle Vue Girls School, said many activities already take place outside the normal school day.

The school in Thorn Lane stages booster classes and homework clubs at lunchtime and A-level chemistry pupils are soon to be offered extra classes before morning registration.

"Teachers do work hard, but they choose to because they want to help their students," she said.

"People should not be forced to work extra hours. It should be voluntary."

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