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Original poster

4 day working week … for schools.

212 replies

AutumnIsHere21 · 04/03/2023 14:42

Inspired by another thread discussing the merits of a three day weekend and following on from the results of a study which concluded that a four day working week (for full time pay) had numerous benefits for employers and employees.

I just wondered how people would feel if schools followed suit and were only open Monday-Thursday.

Full disclosure: I’m a teacher so - obviously - would be very much in favour! 😆

OP posts:
Oblomov23 · 04/03/2023 17:08

No. Children need to be in school 5 days. It's just teachers who we would need more of, would do 4 days.

StellaKinsella · 04/03/2023 17:16

I'd love to have more time with my children, for them to have more time for free play outdoors, long dog walks, sports/activities or things like library visits. Our weekends have started to feel quite full and pressured with 3 DC, homework, working parents (shift work), social engagements etc.

I can see that for some families whose jobs run along Mon - Fri 9-5 lines this would cause lots of practical issues, and for disadvantaged children this could be bad not good. But for our family less time in school would be lovely!

CurlyhairedAssassin · 04/03/2023 17:16

I do however wish we could do 7.30 until 2 or something similar. Kids are always up at the crack of dawn iand 4 year olds have had enough by lunch.

Yes, that will work well with teens! Grin

I work in a primary school office. If I had to be in work at 7.15 I would leave. I'm menopausal and don't sleep that well, same for many of my colleagues. If they had to be there any earlier I think it would finish them off. What about school staff who need to take their own children to nursery before they go to work? When are they supposed to do that - 6.30am?

Actually my kids were never up that early anyway. I used to wake them between 7am and 7.30. If I'd had to get them up earlier for an earlier school start they would never have seen their dad as he was not usually home before 7pm, and he's out of the house by 5.45-6am.

Dd2ds12014 · 04/03/2023 17:20

The dream would be kids in 5 days but teachers in 4 each (obviously not all missing the same day!) because there are so many of them the classes could be fully staffed even with only 80% of staff in per day. With enough money, and enough teachers, this could be timetabled in a secondary school. Obviously a dream though as there will never be the money or the teachers!

NewDogOwner · 04/03/2023 17:20

Can you imagine the state of the pupils by last period each day?

HelloDaisy · 04/03/2023 17:28

Not sure if it would work with schools as too many people, careers, cannot work like that as well so for younger children childcare would be the problem. However if they are able to spend the 5th day doing organised sports or team building stuff then that’s a possibility…

I run a trade business and we couldn’t afford to pay our engineers full time pay on 4 days a week. Not sure the public would be happy with trades upping their daily rates to fit.

NeedToChangeName · 04/03/2023 17:31

WelshNerd · 04/03/2023 15:05

This is not a serious argument. We have a standard 5 day working week at the moment but many services are available 7 days.

There would be significant challenges in renegotiating teachers contracts to fit with the principles of a 4 day working week but less school days is unlikely to be one of them.

@WelshNerd Many schools in Scotland have longer school day Monday to Thursday eg 8.30am to 3.50pm, and finish at 12.30pm on Friday. It seems to work well

Lyricallie · 04/03/2023 17:32

We already have it here in the highlands. The high school has a half day on Friday. Not sure about primaries though. I think it’s due to costs rather than work/school life balance.

Silverbook · 04/03/2023 17:33

Schools in Edinburgh & Lothian already do a half day on a Friday. It’s works really well. All teachers take that as their NCCT. As a teacher and parent I love it.

Silverbook · 04/03/2023 17:34

HelloDaisy · 04/03/2023 17:28

Not sure if it would work with schools as too many people, careers, cannot work like that as well so for younger children childcare would be the problem. However if they are able to spend the 5th day doing organised sports or team building stuff then that’s a possibility…

I run a trade business and we couldn’t afford to pay our engineers full time pay on 4 days a week. Not sure the public would be happy with trades upping their daily rates to fit.

It’s works well in parts of Scotland. Schools are for education, not childcare.

Silverbook · 04/03/2023 17:38

Florenz · 04/03/2023 17:01

Schools should be open 7 days a week. (note that I am not saying that Teachers should work 7 days a week, they should work 5 days a week on a rota). And they should be open from 6am-10pm. (teachers should work 8 hours a day).

Why?

blacktreacles · 04/03/2023 17:38

Would prefer a homework ban.

MistressIggi · 04/03/2023 17:41

Silverbook · 04/03/2023 17:33

Schools in Edinburgh & Lothian already do a half day on a Friday. It’s works really well. All teachers take that as their NCCT. As a teacher and parent I love it.

I'm glad you like it! I do too. It's not entirely correct to say that the Friday afternoon is taken as non-contact. Local schools actually work just as long during school hours as schools elsewhere in Scotland, usually by starting earlier. In this way the Friday afternoon lessons are accounted within the 4.5 days.

shard5 · 04/03/2023 17:43

The star academy schools near us have a slightly longer day mon- Thursday then only 4 hours on Friday.
Works well for the high schools as they then fit in interventions on Friday afternoon. Not so much for the primary children as it throws their routine but both the primary and secondary in Bolton are quite full( no idea if they're at capacity), the primary especially has lots of disappointed parents whose children don't get in.

Botw1 · 04/03/2023 17:43

@Silverbook

Right.

So they should educate.

Schools are already shut 13 weeks a year. More when you include inset days.

This would bump that up to about 18 weeks with no education.

And teachers would want full pay for that?

Hellothere54 · 04/03/2023 17:44

I’m a primary teacher I think this could work with children in for 5 days, but 4 days teaching, 1 day PPA for the teacher and the children could have special teachers for all those lessons that get dropped when we are busy e.g. art, DT, music, PE, modern foreign languages etc. I actually can’t remember the last time I fitted in a French or music lesson! It’s so unfair on the children, but I have to get maths and English taught to a high standard so those lessons go. This way they would actually get decent teaching in these subjects and teacher’s workload would reduce which could help with retention and recruitment.

Silverbook · 04/03/2023 17:44

MistressIggi · 04/03/2023 17:41

I'm glad you like it! I do too. It's not entirely correct to say that the Friday afternoon is taken as non-contact. Local schools actually work just as long during school hours as schools elsewhere in Scotland, usually by starting earlier. In this way the Friday afternoon lessons are accounted within the 4.5 days.

Show quote history

I didn’t realise that. My only experience of it was it being used as whole staff NCCT.
Either way- it works well!

SleepingRedSnowBootsAndThePea · 04/03/2023 17:46

Ha! Well, considering we're told that it will ruin a child's education if they have a day off for a family funeral or similar, how could it then be justified the cut education hours by 20%

Tygertiger · 04/03/2023 17:49

Look, children being in 4 days a week is a non-starter. Everyone accepts that.

But you can have staff on a 4 day week. You just need more of them and to think carefully about your timetable.

ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 04/03/2023 17:49

Sugargliderwombat · 04/03/2023 15:58

I'm in primary and no thank you! They are tired enough as it is without trying to cram everything into four days. I do however wish we could do 7.30 until 2 or something similar. Kids are always up at the crack of dawn iand 4 year olds have had enough by lunch.

Mine wasn’t. She had to be dragged out of bed, even though she went to be at the right time. She’s an owl.

CurlyhairedAssassin · 04/03/2023 17:50

Florenz · 04/03/2023 17:01

Schools should be open 7 days a week. (note that I am not saying that Teachers should work 7 days a week, they should work 5 days a week on a rota). And they should be open from 6am-10pm. (teachers should work 8 hours a day).

ha ha very good!

Silverbook · 04/03/2023 17:52

Botw1 · 04/03/2023 17:43

@Silverbook

Right.

So they should educate.

Schools are already shut 13 weeks a year. More when you include inset days.

This would bump that up to about 18 weeks with no education.

And teachers would want full pay for that?

Yip.

A quick google search will throw up quite a few countries with longer holidays and no drops in attainment.

I find it strange that some people fixate on teachers’ holidays. It would be like me having an obsession with the bonuses some other sectors get….totally irrelevant. There are pros and cons for every job.

MistressIggi · 04/03/2023 17:52

Botw1 · 04/03/2023 17:43

@Silverbook

Right.

So they should educate.

Schools are already shut 13 weeks a year. More when you include inset days.

This would bump that up to about 18 weeks with no education.

And teachers would want full pay for that?

You just don't like teachers much, do you?

ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 04/03/2023 17:53

+Florenz · Today 17:01
Schools should be open 7 days a week. (note that I am not saying that Teachers should work 7 days a week, they should work 5 days a week on a rota). And they should be open from 6am-10pm. (teachers should work 8 hours a day)*

Teachers work much longer than 8 hours per day.

StarDolphins · 04/03/2023 17:53

4 day a week only if they massively reduced school holidays.

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