4.5 day week

[BigGlasses]

Our council (Fife) is looking to save 80million from the school budget across the local authority. One way they have decided is to go to a 4.5 day week so the school closes at noon on Fridays. There is a parent consultation tonight, so I'll find out a lot more about it then. For instance I don't know whether they are cutting the number of contact hours with the children or whether they are going for longer days Mon-Thurs and a shorter day on Friday. I guess I'll find out tonight. At the moment it's just a proposal but I think the council are really keen. A lot of people think it's a done deal.
Anyway, I'm looking to hear your experiences both from teachers and from parents who have worked 4.5 days weeks. At the moment I can barely think beyond "great, I'll now have to pay for childcare on Friday afternoons" but I'm trying to keep an open mind

I'm happy to admit it's partly about childcare and finances!

I have worked part time whilst my children are small, and have really struggled financially. Now, with the possibility of working full time again on the horizon in order to stabilise family finances, it looks as if it would be pointless as I'd have to pay my childminder for full day care for two children.

So we're still stuck with the earning capacity we had when we had two pre-schoolers and can't improve the situation simply by working more hours.

Falkirk Council now consulting on same.

www.parentsoffalkirk.com

Midlothian already have this.

I like it, but I'm a SAHM so it's easy for me to say that.

No, they don't. They have 25 hours pupil contact with an earlier start and later finish Mon-Thurs so the children are not in school on a Fri afternoon. This is the Edinburgh model.

Highland, Fife and now Falkirk are cutting pupil hours to 22.5 hours so they can make massive staffing savings. It is reduction of 10% in the time children will be taught by a teacher. Totally different from the Edinburgh model.

I wish they would go that in England. My dc would benefit from
Friday afternoons off they get tired and more family time would be great.
School is education not childcare so I don't see why it would be a consideration.

And, you get that with the Edinburgh model. A little earlier and and little later Mon-Thurs.

This is reducing a child's time with a teacher by 10%. It is NOT a step forward.

I don't agree with reducing contact hours, but I'd happily do a little longer on other days in order to have Friday afternoon for training/planning. But I can also see that it would cause more hassles for parents who need or want to work full time (although I presume after school care would increase hours on Friday afternoon to pick up the shortfall). I find that Friday afternoon after lunch is a bit of a waste of time really (we have lunch from 1:30 to 2:30pm then just one hour of class time until dismissal at 3:30pm). If school finished at 1:30pm, it's only really one less hour contact time but would be useful to teachers. If managed well, then I think it could actually work pretty well. If we went from 8:30 instead of 9, then it would suit a lot of parents (who start work at 9) and would actually give an extra hour of contact time over the week (an additional 30 minutes per day Mon-Thurs, but only losing one hour of contact time on Friday afternoon).

This is under consideration if Falkirk and parents are not impressed. Especially when the same amount is going to be spent to upgrade the wave machine at the swimming pool. There is petition that parents can sign www.gopetition.com/petitions/say-no-to-reducing-the-school-week-by-10-in-falkirk/signatures.html

I've worked in this system. Every hour a teacher works in the classroom leads to several other hours planning, recording and paperwork. As the demands increase exponentially it has become impossible to provide children with 25 hours a week education. You need so many teachers to be able to do it, that some places just cannot carry the cost, or find the staff, hence the cut back in hours. There is plenty of teachers other work that can be moved from midnight/ sunday afternoon, Easter holidays, or whenever, and be put on Friday afternoons, including training.

It is not even unusual, there are at least 4 schools in my borough doing it that I know about. (England)

I went to the meeting at our local school in Fife and unfortunately I think the council are making a decision in February. We were told if we could come up with an alternative to save money the council would listen!!
Our school has only every had a specialist art teacher, never sports or music, but this would go and class teacher teach art.
I only hope if this does go through that the local council run sports facilities could run sports club and perhaps the music departments have combined school orchestras on Friday afternoons.

The point is it's to save covering non contact, also known as McCrone time. Teachers are entitled to 2.5 hrs non contact time for planning, CPD etc and it's currently covered by cover teachers or specialist provision such as PE' art, music etc. this will make no difference to teachers' workload.

Think West Dunbartonshire are doing it too.

Why does Fife have less budget than areas that offer 25 hours teaching?

I must admit to not understanding how different UK countries use their budget (eg how some cou tries charge 9,000 Uni fees and others do not; parking in hospitals and prescription charges seem to vary from England, Wales, Scotland etc)) so is it a matter of funding different areas differently? If so does it depend on what the councils see as more important? Eg 25 hours primary teaching compared to other uses of their budget? That is the only way I can see money being salvaged. But I am not an economist or a politician.

I'm in Edinburgh and our primary school day is 8.45 - 3.20 ( slightly shorter for P1 and 2) and they finish at 12 on Fridays. After school clubs provide Friday afternoon care. My DC have done Fife system and Edinburgh longer day system and love having Friday afternoons for clubs and activities. As a working parent I cut my hours to finish at 2 on Fridays, only cut by 3 hours so not a major pay adjustment and I know lots of parents where one partner works a 4 day week. The worrying aspect of what Fife is proposing is that they cutting teaching time, that cant be good for the children.

West Dunbartonshire have just announced a U turn on this. It's the reduction in teaching time that post parent I know are concerned about.