CHESS, geology and even Japanese art are just some of the activities being discovered by pupils after a radical shake-up of their school timetable left them with some free time.

Castle View School on Canvey is halfway through a two-term trial of a more Continental-style day which runs from 8.10am until 2.10pm.

The school has used the extra time to offer a huge range of free after-school clubs which headteacher Russell Sullivan hopes will broaden pupils’ horizons.

He said: “I always felt the new timetable would succeed or fail on what we offered in the afternoon.

“The atmosphere in the school is more business-like now and the pupils are more positive than they were.”

There are 78 different clubs and classes on the YouChoose programme at the school, ranging from the informal art factory to the more academic geology GCSE or vocational nail art and beauty.

There are also clubs to help with schoolwork, such as maths and English, sports clubs including running and football, and on top of that a supervised homework club in the library until 5.30pm every day.

Crucially, according to programme organiser Dawn Catley, from the Canvey School’s Partnership, pupils can suggest new activities they would like to see.

If a group of five or more pupils commits to attending a course every week for half of a term the school have committed to offering it.

She said: “It’s really interesting what they ask for.

“The clubs try to offer what the curriculum doesn’t and one of the nicest things is the clubs cross all the age groups.

“Even some of the teachers are doing the clubs.”

But this extra time has to come from somewhere and instead of a one hour lunch break pupils and staff get two 20 minute breaks during the school day. This has left some pupils with a grumbling tummy.

Keaton Gover, 13, said: “The new timetable is good and bad.

“I think the lunchtimes are really short and we don’t get enough time.

“Even if you go into the queue, by the time you get to the front the bell goes.” The school, which will be moving to a new site in 2011, has tried to cope with the extra pressure of the 960 pupils trying to eat in such a short period of time by opening new service areas.

Assistant headteacher Jonathan Newby said: “As pupils get used to it we find some are choosing to eat at break one, at 10.10am, and again after school when we offer a full range of food in the canteen before the activities start.

“Some eat at break two at 12.50pm.”

Despite some complaints most teachers and pupils seem to prefer the new timetable, which is designed to eliminate the traditional lunch hour to free up extra time, but also to make it easier for pupils to learn.

Mr Newby said: “Previously after lunch the children were tired and less ready to learn. Now every period is more like one another and by having them all earlier in the day they seem more focused.”

Fellow assistant head Pat Shaw has been teaching at the school for 25 years and is also a big fan of the new timetable.

She said: “I personally like it. It’s very fast, but I think it’s good for the pupils. There’s less chance for them to get up to any mischief. We don’t have the amount of disciplinary issues to deal with that we used to.

For Mrs Shaw one of the unforeseen advantages of the timetable is pupils build up positive relationships with staff during the clubs which have a knock on effect in the classroom.

But she admits it can be a hectic day for teaching staff as many of them miss their lunch hour.

She said: “Some staff will say that it’s not long enough to catch up, especially if you have got five lessons in day.”

Maths teacher Susan Catling finds the day flies by and misses the social side of the longer lunch break.

She said: “From the pupils perspective it’s working really well. The pupils seem to settle into each lesson a lot quicker.

“From the staff point of view, the day goes really quickly and we seem to get through a lot of work in a short space of time but we don’t see other members of staff from other departments as much.”

Like all staff Mrs Catling is required to run one after-school club a week as part of the You Choose programme.

But she does not feel this adds to teachers’ workloads and would not go back to the old timetable.

She said: “We have always offered something. It’s just more prescribed now.”

Parents, pupils and staff will all be consulted on the timetable at the end of the Easter term and the school will then decide whether to continue it in September.

But for the school’s senior team there is no doubt that the new system is working.

Mrs Shaw said: “For some of the pupils they’re trying new activities that they have never had the chance to, couldn’t afford or just never even thought of trying.

“They see school in a different light. It’s not just all about lessons. It’s given them the idea learning can be fun.”

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