Has anyone else heard of a school closing early through lack of funding?

[OrianaBanana]

This school is now closing early on Wednesdays

www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/local-news/fulbourn-school-cambridgeshire-government-education-16385750

Has anyone else's school done this? When we're being told we shouldn't be taking kids out of school, importance of attendance, etc.? I was shocked, I had no idea this sort of thing could happen

Didn't you know schools are in financial crisis? They are broke.

It's happening everywhere and is due to schools facing huge budget cuts. The government is pretending there isn't a problem but there is a huge one. It also means staff are cut to the bone, SEN support and other support services are rapidly reduced and schools are on their knees. Blame the government not the schools.

I'm not quite clear how it saves money though. The school will be open as staff will be there doing class prep, so the school will still be heated and lights on, staff being paid. What's the actual cost saving, I suppose the resources used during that 2 hour period?

Staff can take their planning and preparation time then, without having to pay for cover. It’s a huge saving.

I did know they are broke and I don’t blame the school. I had just never heard of it happening before.

The saving is not needing to cover classes for non contact time or ppa and not needing to pay support staff if there are no children. It's shit and a direct result of government funding (or lack of) and cuts.

I see. I hadn't thought of all that. I'm only surprised it hasn't happened more often then.

Schools in Cambridgeshire are amongst the worst funded in the whole country. Something like 3rd or 4th worst. Shocking. This school has no alternative options. I am a school governor and this would be the last option.

Yes. DC's school has lost 2.5 hours (a week) of teaching time in the last few years and the school physically now shuts at 4.30 (3.30 on Friday) whereas it used to be 6.00pm . The "lost" teaching time, is mostly non-core curriculum subjects such as PE, art and music.

There's been at least one thread about this recently so it's not uncommon
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3595153-Local-schools-shutting-at-lunchtime-on-Friday-And-what-do-I-do-about-childcare

I've heard a lot about it on here, but not in our community.
Although one high school near us closes at 2pm daily now.

I was talking to someone who’s a school governor a little while ago for a school in a deprived area. She was saying that last winter they started turning the heating off at lunchtime so that they didn’t have to lose any teaching assistants. Goodness knows what the next step would/will be with any further cuts

staff will be there doing class prep, so the school will still be heated

Hahahahahahaaaaa.
As a PP mentioned, heating gets turned off at lunchtime. In the depths of winter if I’m in my classroom marking after school it’s while wearing a coat and hat. I’ve also considered bringing a blanket in.