Schools 3 day a week?

[Sunflowerkeep]

Is this for real or just media again? Is it seriously being considered?

It's a load of non-sense

I work i a business role in one of the last remaining LA secondaries. "My" job in similar sized academies pays double and the executive heads are on enormous salaries. I really can't see how academies are more efficient.

Anyway, I suspect this is one or two large academy chains making threats for more funding, there certainly aren't any general headteachers' meetings running atm.

Something does need to change about the way schools are run and financed. IMO currently we have too any unqualified teachers teaching and too many teachers doing work that doesn't really need a teaching qualification. A restructure of what's expected of the curriculum could create efficiencies and a better experience for students.

It could well be that a solution is that children only get 3 days a week from a qualified teacher, but that might be OK, even a good thing.

Course it won't happen .,, the media will once again demonise "lazy" teachers only wanting to work 3 days...

I suspect what will happen is schools will cut TAs.. legally I can have 30 reception children (age 4 and 5) without the need for a support assistant, that's the case from reception to year 6.

We will only have support for children with additional needs (which again is chronically underfunded and many children get no support from the govt just what schools provide for thr general budget).

Standards will drop because with the best will in the world without interventions some children will fall short. The govt will blame schools, change the curriculum again without actually consulting anyone who works in education.

Or class sizes will massively increase but we will have a support assistant so "interventions should still happen".

Oh and to the pp who suggested getting parents to pay for supplies/towards energy.. wtf?!!

The government NEED to do something about the preposterous rise in energy bills but because they are all rich they don't see and feel the pressure!!! They also don't see and feel the hidden costs coming off wages.. for example student loan contributions/pension contributions because they do make a real difference to take home pay!

Also child benefit cap of earning £50k yet a couple could earn £49,950 each and still be eligible!!

The govt don't give a shit because they don't need to give a shit on a personal level!!!

Teacher should get the booster

That is a very sensible suggestion.

I doubt the government will allow it because of the economic impact. As unpopular as the view is on Mumsnet, school IS childcare for the vast majority of working parents - no school = reduced work force = reduced tax revenue and increased benefit spend.

it is showing that some schools are in a terrifying position

I would hazard a guess it is most schools, including private schools.

Teacher should get the booster, be cheaper than opening windows. 5 days of teacher sickness is better than weeks of 3 day weeks for the kids

yeah, fuck the health of school staff and kids, eh? If it were only five days, it might be doable. But then where is the supply coming from? The money to fund all that supply? And the impact of longer absence in shortage subject areas on exam years?

The academisation of schools has had no effect on the rating of the schools.

Personally I’d love 4 days a week all round. It would feel a better balance. I’m probably in the minority here though.

I can't see it happening, ever.

I've had the boosters and work in an environment with windows open all year round, I've still been quite ill with Covid twice.

Schools won't close, once the heating goes off the pupils will be in classrooms with coats on.

Although it may stop food lessons as hot water is a health and safety requirement.

Unlikely, but would be so much better for children.

It is bonkers to run schools with the windows open and the heating on though. I don't understand why there wasn't more fuss from an environmental pov

That is perhaps how they’re going to square it v the 190 day requirement. Schools will have to provide the hours, but can vary when they are delivered - so longer days v some days shut to save heating costs. Perhaps an extra week on the Christmas hols rather than permanent 3 or 4 day weeks?

Trouble is that those options take planning if they are to work well, and there isn’t time to roll them out properly before this winter.

So yes the question then does become ‘what has to give when schools run out of money?’

NHS is dealing with post pandemic (and continuing covid) issues, so can’t be squeezed. Social care desperately needs more, do that hospitals can function better. Defence - the usual one to be raided - isn’t going to be cut whilst there’s a revanchist Russia and fighting in Europe. No other departmental budgets are as large as those, so cutting/freezing elsewhere isn’t going to yield much

The government made a big push that they would keep schools open come hell and high water. Time to put some money where their mouth is I guess!

Wasn't this 3 day week stuff part of a government report on worst case scenario planning?

Don't think you can blame the media for that.

I don't think it is. When we had no hot water because of a boiler problem, the LA H&S people advised that the only benefit of hot water for handwashing is that it makes it more comfortable and helps the soap lather, but providing still done thoroughly, it makes no difference to how clean hands are. You're not washing hands in water hot enough to kill germs anyway.

Not for washing hands but for the washing of plates, pots, pans and other equipment.

This will never happen.

It won't happen, but I can easily see more schools dropping Friday afternoons. Having that time as everyone's PPA so you don't need to pay an extra staff member as PPA cover and turn the heating off early too.

It'd be rubbish for most of the kids. Well motivated upper secondary age could benefit though, they never seem to have enough time for independent study.

It'd be shit for working parents of primary aged children, as they'd need to pay for childcare for that time.

The reality is they will likely cut staff to the bone and merge classes, drop support, drop resources, drop all the extras such as visitors, music lessons and run classes of 50-60 before they will do this.

Wouldn't you boil a kettle for that, if there's no hot water, rather than cancel a lesson?

I think the new school day hours thing is a response to schools who had ready started doing that.

It's been real for some children for a long time.

We don't have a kettle at our school. We have no kitchen but washing up needs to be done.