school lunchTiMes
Investigating the Impact of Playtime on Learning and Development
Making The case...
Torpoint Nursery and Infant School in Cornwall cut its lunch hour to 30 minutes in a
trial that aimed to re-evaluate the way the school day was organised.
Due to parental unease with the change, the trial lasted
just one week, but staff at the school still believe that
shorter lunch breaks could improve outcomes for children.
Headteacher Elisabeth Carney-Haworth explains why
they decided to trial the 30 minute lunchbreak and why
she feels the lunch hour should be scrapped in favour of
Torpoint
shorter breaks:
School
I
t had become apparent to us that a of other levels. A lot of the small
“We want people to realise that just
full hour is a very long time indeed children didn’t even notice the change,
because the Victorians did something
for very small children. We had been whilst some of the older children loved
one way, it’s not the way it always has to
observing the children for some time and it. We staggered the lunch break over
be done. I feel that the children would
knew that they didn’t take more than ten three sittings but kept the same number
benefit from a more flexible school day
minutes to queue, eat their dinner and of lunchtime supervisors so the ratio of
and whilst we have no immediate plans
F
ACILITIES MANAGEMENT
go out to play, so we decided to trial supervisors to children was fantastic,
to change the lunch hour we would like
a 30 minute lunch break and a 40-45 and the children had far more space in
to trial the 45 minute lunch break at
minute lunch break too. which to play.
some point in the future.”
Torpoint Nursery and Infant School
has now reverted to a 60 minute
We wanted to re-think the school day lunchbreak, but has dispensed with a set
rather than just sticking to historical
mid-morning break in favour of a more
flexible break schedule.
assumptions and practices
“Our teachers take the children out
to play when they need a break and
“Ultimately, the trial was about “We are a Healthy School and I
not at a fixed time,” said Elisabeth
looking at the children’s wellbeing and believe that activity is crucial, but
Carney-Haworth. “It makes no sense
trying to make their experience at school we’re really into active learning and
for them to stop in the middle of lesson
as positive as possible. We wanted to our children are not just sitting down
just because the bell rings – it’s much
re-think the school day rather than just at desks all day. We have an area that’s
more important that classes take their
sticking to historical assumptions and dedicated to safe outdoor learning,
breaks when the children need them.
practices, and we wanted to do what was we run a ‘Leap into Life’ PE session
The flexible approach works really well
best for the pupils. every day and students have access to
for pupils and for staff and we plan to
“The trial was unpopular with some outdoor play areas, which means that
continue with non-scheduled breaktimes
of the parents but fantastic on a number for a lot of their day they’re very active.”
in the future.”
44 • School Management Today
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