According to a survey carried out by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), children as young as four are spending ten-hour days at school in breakfast and after-school clubs in what may constitute ‘an erosion of childhood’.
The majority of teachers, lecturers, support staff and leaders surveyed said parents and carers used before- and after-school services as childcare.
Fifty-six per cent of respondents believed children today spend less time with their families than 20 years ago.
One respondent, a primary school teacher in Kent, said, ‘Many of our parents are commuters into London and therefore work long hours. We have children as young as four who are at school 8am-6pm, eating breakfast, lunch and dinner.’
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