What was classed as “break time” at your school?
Posted by soraie_@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 36 comments
After a conversation with friends from work we realised we all had very different times for breaks throughout primary and secondary school. For reference I was at school during the early 2000s into the mid 2010s in Scotland.
In primary school we had a 15 minute playtime at 10:30, then lunch & play from 12-1 and in lower school a 5 minute break after 2
Secondary it was 15 minutes at 10:30 & an hours lunch from 1. This actually changed in my final year and reduced lunch to 50 minutes which was a pain.
CyGuy6587@reddit
I don't remember shit from primary school, but at secondary i know we had 5 hours of lessons a day. First lesson was from 9:10 to 10:10, followed by 20 min break. Two hours of lessons 10:30 to 12:30. Now this is something I only just remembered; lunch time was staggered due to how big the school was. Lunch was half an hour, but half the school would have it at 12:30 to 13:00, while the other half would go to their first lesson of the afternoon for half an hour, go for lunch, then have the second half of their lesson afterwards. Then after that lesson was another class then home time at 3
EffBee93@reddit
My secondary school only had two twenty minute breaks but we finished at 1420. Loved it, I was home by 1430.
Mikon_Youji@reddit
I was at secondary school between 2001-2008. If I remember correctly we had a 15 minute break at 10:30 and then an hour of lunch starting at 12:00.
Robtimus_prime89@reddit
I don’t remember primary school, but for most of my time at secondary school it was:
8:40 - 15:30 Monday/Wednesday/Thursday (14:30 on Tuesdays and Fridays).
Break 11:00 - 11:20. Lunch 13:30 - 14:10 (on Tuesdays and Fridays, we had a slightly longer registration but we finished after it - the other days we had another lesson in the afternoon)
The whole school day changed after I finished year 7 - I believe the break was roughly the same, but lunch was 1 hour, and earlier in the day (I think we had 3 lessons before lunch when I was in year 7, but it was was changed to 4 lessons before lunch)
redjet@reddit
I went to boarding school and left over twenty five years ago so recollections may be a little hazy, but I think morning lessons would start at 08:50, with a break between 10:45 and 11:10, and then further lessons until 13:05.
What happened in the afternoons depended on the day of the week and the time of the year. We only had afternoon lessons on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and these would start some time after lunch until about 15:00 in the summer, or at 17:10 in the winter until 18:30. The rest of those afternoons was devoted to sports or the cadet force depending on the day.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays there were also a number of afternoon activities, I don’t remember a great deal about what was on offer but I know there was the option to get involved with stuff like CNC milling and car mechanics.
We would also have lessons on a Saturday morning until lunchtime.
Outside those times I think we were more or left to fend for ourselves, I don’t think that’s the case anymore and looking at my old school’s social media now they seem to organise all sorts of very structured weekend and evening stuff I don’t really remember us having. They were certainly character building days.
qqqqtip@reddit
secondary school day was 8:45 to 15:35
break was 11:15 to 11:35
lunch was 12:35 to 13:35
Remote-Pool7787@reddit
Glasgow, 2001-2006, secondary school. 8.45-9 Registration. 9.00-9.50 1st period. 9.50-10.40 2nd period. 10.40-11 break. 11-11.50 3rd period. 11.50-12.40 4th period. 12.40-1.30 lunch. 1.30-2.20 5th period. 2.20-3.10 6th period. 3.10-3.30 prep
OrdinaryQuestions@reddit
Primary: 9am - 3.25pm. Break time around 10.10am for 15mins. Lunch 12pm for an hour. No afternoon Break UNLESS we were in year 6, then we got an afternoon break as a treat for SATs revision and tests.
Secondary: 8.45am - 3.25pm but it changed to 3pm as they cut out the morning tutor time which usually lasted 15mins. Break 11am for 15mins. Lunch 1pm - 1.45pm.
SarkyMs@reddit
Primary school was 40 years ago, I have no idea.
Ok-Advantage3180@reddit
I was in school at the same time as you (but England). In primary school we were in from 9-3:15 and had our morning break from 10:45 to 11 and lunch from 12-1. In secondary school we were there from 8:45-3:05 and had morning break from 10:45-11:05 and lunch from 1:05-1:45.
SnoopyLupus@reddit
I’m from Bucks but fairly old and can’t really remember but I know in both primary and secondary we had a 15 minute break in the middle of the morning and in the middle of the afternoon.
Agreeable_Fig_3713@reddit
Also Scotland. Our playtime was quarter to 11 then dinner time was 12 till 1 for p1-3 and half 12 till half 1 for p4-7.
Highschool was 11 but we got 20 mins not 15 and dinner time was the same as you 1-2
wildOldcheesecake@reddit
Primary: morning playtime, lunchtime/playtime, afternoon playtime
High school: morning break and then lunchtime/break
ThatchedSwan@reddit
I was at secondary school and sixth form from 2006-2013.
Years 7-11
Registration: 08:45 First Period: 09:00 Second Period: 10:00 Break: 11:00 Third period: 11:20 Fourth Period 12:20 Lunch: 13:20 Afternoon Registration: 14:00 Fifth Period: 14:25 Home Time: 15:25
Years 12-13 (Sixth Form)
First Period: 09:00 Second Period: 10:00 Break: 11:00 Third period: 11:20 Fourth Period 12:20 Lunch: 13:20 Fifth Period: 14:25 Home Time: 15:25
JourneyThiefer@reddit
It only goes to year 13?
inide@reddit
In my secondary school we had a 15minute break after registration and each lesson because it was a 10minute walk between buildings. And that could sometimes even be longer for PE, because we did some sports off-site.
Mag-1892@reddit
We were in 8.45 - 3.15 and got a 15 min break at 10 then an hr for dinner at 12.15 this was mid to late 90s
Iammildlyoffended@reddit
Ooh now you’re asking….primary school (1989-1996) was 9am-3pm with a 15 min break at 10:00am and an hour at 12:00pm another 10 min break at 2:00pm for the infants.
High school (1996 - 2001) fifteen minute break at 10:15am and a 45 min lunch from 12:15 - 1:00pm
AdministrativeLaugh2@reddit
No idea about primary school, that was far too long ago for me. High school was start at 8:30, two lessons, break at 10:30-10:50, two lessons, lunch 12:50-1:30, form time, lesson, finish at 2:50.
deadliftbear@reddit
Secondary: we started at 09:05 and went to 15:25. There was a 15-minute break around 10:50 and lunch was about 45 minutes about 12:40. I have a very strong memory of there being two lunch periods in the first couple of years, and you were assigned to either first or second lunch, with the number of classes either side varying accordingly. But that definitely changed across the whole school when I started my GCSE year.
SpasmodicSpasmoid@reddit
At secondary school we started at 8.30 and finished at 1605, it was a good school with boarding. I think about 1050-1110 was our first break. And then we did 1205 to 1315 for lunch break. And then we had a 10 minute break at 1440ish.
I left in 2006, barely went to school in year 11 as I’d already been accepted into an electronics engineering apprenticeship in the Royal Navy at 15 and a half so i was just waiting to leave. Irrelevant for this discussion but you sparked a memory and I’ve had a gin. Have a nice evening.
soraie_@reddit (OP)
That was a lovely recollection! Thank you for sharing
wintonian1@reddit
You had an afternoon break, you lucky barsteward.
soraie_@reddit (OP)
In all fairness it was probably to let off steam before we were shipped back off to our parents
intangible-tangerine@reddit
I don't recall for primary but for secondary
School day was 8.30 to 16.45
15 mins morning break, 45 mins lunch, 15 mins afternoon break
JourneyThiefer@reddit
That’s so long??
intangible-tangerine@reddit
And I had a 3 mile walk home after it. Explains my chronic laziness as an adult now.
JourneyThiefer@reddit
My secondary school was 08:55 to 15:30 lol
PM-me-your-cuppa-tea@reddit
Secondary school was break 11:05-11:30 and lunch 1:30-2:20
soraie_@reddit (OP)
That seems so late for lunch, I’d have eaten my bag if I had to wait that long
PM-me-your-cuppa-tea@reddit
I’ve just edited with my first secondary schools schedule.
I preferred the later lunch, I have lunch at 2 now as an adult. Means the end of the day is nearer!!
At school we had registration, 2x 1hr lessons, break, 2x 1hr lessons, lunch, 1x 1hr lesson so I think the only having an hour after lunch made all of us happy
Mane25@reddit
My secondary school (90s) was 8:30 start- 15 min registration/assembly, hour lesson, hour lesson, 15 min break, hour lesson, hour lesson, hour lunch, hour lesson, home at 3pm (if that adds up, I haven't checked).
Accurate_Prompt_8800@reddit
School day was 8:40-15:30, break time of 15 mins at around 10:00, lunch was 12:35-1:35
cgknight1@reddit
It’s so long ago that I cannot remember. It must have been after 10am because the offie was open for us to buy twenty Rothmans or some rough shag for the pipe smokers in my year.
finnbob3334@reddit
My secondary school in the early 2010s had 1 hour of breaks in total - 11:00-11:20 and then 12:20-13:00. We used to have 5 minutes between lessons but that wasn't really a break, as my secondary was a really big site so the walk from one end to the other was 600 or so metres.
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