Children 'Damaged By 10-Hour School Days'

Pupils as young as four are spending 10 hours a day in school turning them into "ghost" children who talk to no-one, regularly fall asleep and lag behind, teachers have warned.

The long-hours culture means children are regularly either in school or after-school care from 8am to 6pm, according to research by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers.

Family life is being damaged by the pressures of modern life, forcing parents to abandon time with their children for work or other priorities, they claim.

More than half of the school staff questioned (56%) said they thought children spent a lot less time with their families than 20 years ago, and 94% thought it was because of work.

An early years teacher in a North Yorkshire state school said: "Some children are placed in before and after-school care from 8am to 6pm.

"These children walk around like ghosts, do not talk to anyone, fall asleep frequently, do not progress as quickly as their peers. Their parents are also 'too busy' to support them in an adequate way at home."

Steve Wood, a state secondary school teacher from Kirklees, said: "The pressures on family time have grown considerably and work-life balance for many parents is an increasingly difficult area.

"The necessity to stay in work means time spent with children isn't always a priority."

ATL members, who are holding their annual conference in Manchester, are expected to back a resolution saying proposals calling for longer school days and shorter school holidays do not put children first.

Education minister Liz Truss has been pushing for children to start school from the age of two , backed by the head of Ofsted, Sir Michael Wilshaw.

Education Secretary Michael Gove is encouraging schools to stay open for 10 hours .

The survey of 1,300 staff found that most teachers thought children should start school at the age of four, and the primary school day should be five hours, the secondary school day, six.

A Department for Education spokeswoman said: "Extending school nursery hours from 8-6 will give more flexibility to parents and enable more of them to use these high quality facilities to ensure their children start learning basic skills, such as number and letter recognition, from a young age. This can have a real and lasting impact on their development and life chances."