21 January 2024 , 11:00
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We tend to think that children have it easy because they don't have to work, and when a mum was told her daughter wasn't "doing well" at nursery, she was left a bit baffled - until she looked at her little ones' gruelling schedule.
The parent dropped her child, 4, off and asked a member of staff for a little update about how her daughter was progressing - only to be told that she was struggling to concentrate in "all subjects." The mum was naturally left a little concerned, so wanted to do a little more digging into what exactly her daughter was up to - and was horrified by the intense itinerary.
The schedule was between 7am and 6.30pm at the £64-a-day nursery in Australia. The strict regime includes lessons in maths and engineering, history, creative arts, and science and technology from 9am to 12.40pm, with a break for a 'progressive morning tea' in between. Following the morning lessons, pupils are given a 'progressive' half-hour lunch, meaning there are no strict eating times and children eat when they are hungry.
The schedule was packed (FACEBOOK)A period of meditation and rest is held between 1.30-2pm before they learn about 'news, letters and booklet' until 3.45pm. There's then 'free discussion time', a 'progressive afternoon tea' and after school care to finish the day. Posting a picture of the schedule in a Facebook group in 2020, the mum-of-two wrote: "Is this what preschoolers are meant to be learning in a long day centre every day in their class? Or is it just me thinking this is really ridiculous?
"Yesterday as I was dropping off my four-year-old, I asked the new hired head teacher with a primary education degree how my daughter was doing. She kept shaking her head, and said 'She's not doing well at all'. And I said 'Oh really? In what ways and in which subjects?' and the teacher replied 'In all subjects. She has no concentration in all subjects'. I looked at her schedule and no wonder why my four-year-old has no concentration."
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Other parents were left equally bemused at the demands, as reported by the Daily Mail, with one replying: "This is a bulls*** routine. When do they get to be kids?" A second wrote: "The teacher has forgotten where she is teaching. This looks like my high school kids' timetable."
Another said: "A four-year-old has limited concentration anyway, that's a harsh routine. I'm all for kids going to school at four to five, but they should be learning to socialise, interact, learn through play and enjoy their early school years. This looks ridiculous to me."