Primary finishes early every Friday

[Cocothebear]

During Covid our school chose to finish early on Fridays (1.15) in order to clean/sanitise the school.

The school has since decided to make this standard so now every Friday we have pickup at 1.15 and there’s no after school club.

I don’t have a huge problem with this but quite a lot of the parents do which I can understand. I do feel like it’s a pointless day as it so short, past lunch my children say they don’t have time to do anything before collection.

The school say it’s worked best for you the well-being of their pupils and staff but I don’t understand how they can do this when almost every other school in the country does full hours.

So can any school choose to do this? I’m just curious how it works really.

They have warned this could happen for years. Staff have to have some no contact time and would guess this is when teachers take that time rather than arranging cover each week. That and the lack of actual teachers to cover might play a part.

So is this becoming commonplace? I didn’t think much of it until mentioning it to friends at other schools and they were shocked.

This will be a staffing issue. It’s not good enough though is it?

Lots.of schools local to me do this now. Ours doesn't thankfully, but we're in the minority!

My council started this in the 80s and has done it ever since, it's not new. The time was distributed throughout the rest of the week so no less teaching time. They did have after school clubs and activities though.

Lots of schools are doing this now to provide the PPA time that teachers are entitled to. It’s cheaper to give the teachers their ppa all at the same time so they don’t have to pay for cover throughout the week.

My dc’s school finished half an hour earlier every day ‘for COVID reasons’ last year and they have decided to keep the finishing time. They insist the two and a half hours a week reduction has not come from curriculum time. Is that possible?! Even a small change to the school day makes a difference to parents especially if you work.

If it is an academy or free school, they can do whatever they want. If it is any other type of school, they must have a minimum of 380 sessions (half days) per academic year (378 in the current academic year due to the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations). However, there is nothing that stipulates the minimum length of a session. If they were finishing the day with the lunch break, they would be in breach of the regulations, but it sounds like they are having a short afternoon session, so they are probably ok.

Guidance from the DfE says that it is unacceptable for a school to shorten the school day or school week unless it is a direct action to support and enhance their pupils' learning. It also says schools should act reasonably if changing the school day or week and consider the impact on those affected. They should also consider the impact on parental choice. Unfortunately, this is not statutory guidance so schools can ignore it.

It’s becoming more widespread. As PPs say, it allows them to reduce staffing - less TA time to cover PPA etc - less heating & lighting in winter and so on.

School budgets are so squeezed. It’s a government funding issue and you should be mad at the politicians and use your vote wisely, not cross with the school themselves.

I don’t know, I find it hard to believe that this is all started with Covid and then coincidentally became a funding issue. If what the school is telling us is true it’s simply enhanced the wellbeing of the teachers and pupils.

We certainly haven’t been made aware of the hours being made up elsewhere through the week.

I don’t honestly see how a staffing issue would be hugely impacted by knocking a Friday afternoon on the head?

I think given the timing the most likely reason is they realised they could so they did.

It does frustrate me though when parents are like ants in a jar, being penalised for the smallest thing. It would be nice if we had a little more info on it all tbh, perhaps I’ll ask.

Teaching staff are entitled to PPA time each week. Their class needs to be covered by another member of staff if the school is open for that time. By closing early, all staff can have their PPA at the same time and no cover is needed, saving (at the very least) a whole teacher/ta’s wages. As staff can take PPA at home, fuel costs can be saved too, as no heating or lighting needed.

Post covid, there really is no money left - yearly supply budgets will be used already and we’re a third of the way through the year. When will parents believe teachers when we tell them there is no money and schools are running on our goodwill and subsidies? Think about who you vote for in future.

They’re telling you it’s “well-being” but that’s to make it sound to the pupils advantage so you as parents feel reassured.

As explained, if everyone takes PPA on a Friday afternoon, at home, then no one needs to cover their lessons in the week. They can have only the exact amount of staff they need, not the exact amount + cover.

Covid has obviously hastened a decision they might have struggled to get through before, and allowed a convenient explanation that’s not ‘money & staffing’.

I find it hard to believe that this is all started with Covid and then coincidentally became a funding issue.

You’ve got it backwards.

It started with the underfunding.
But the school knew this solution would be an unpopular move (as you say in OP).

Then Covid changed the playing field - there was a new normal people had no choice but to accept, and at the same time lots of parents work patterns would have changed with furlough, WFH etc.

Now they won’t go back because it saves a significant amount.

West Lothian has done this for years.

Think it's awkward for parents but it's not changing.

Our school finishes at 11.20 on a Friday (not in the Uk) Feels like a complete waste of time!

There's several councils in Scotland have done this for all schools since 1990s. They still seem to fit in all the curriculum.
Originally it was inferred to parents there would be less need for Inservice training days but this has not proved to be the case!

The main issue is lots of work places struggle to get staff on Fridays as all part-time staff with kids want a Friday off. Otherwise they have to pay for whole afternoon childcare rather than just after school

The parents need to make the school aware how unhappy they are. If this was me I would have to move my child. Many parents can't simply magic up childcare.

@cansu

The parents need to make the school aware how unhappy they are. If this was me I would have to move my child. Many parents can't simply magic up childcare.

But schools aren't childcare. Whilst I sympathise with parents having to find childcare, schools are education establishments and funding has been cut whilst costs rise. Closing schools on Friday pm will allow all teachers to have ppa at the same time without the need for cover teachers and also save on support staff costs plus heating and electricity costs if teachers take ppa time at home.

I don't understand how you don't understand how it saves money.

It will be saving an absolute fortune. Either they will save the full time wage of a HTLA or of outside services such as PE coaches or music specialist teachers or they will be saving on supply teachers.

Not only do classroom teachers have 10% of their contact time as PPA, they are also entitled to time out of the classroom for other things. Such as if they are a SENCO, an NQT or in charge of maths.

A supply teacher costs a school £200-£300 a day. Every full time teacher gets roughly half a day out of the class. So in a standard seven class primary that's £700 a week just for basic PPA cover.

If they close on a Friday lunchtime, everyone gets their PPA then.

Schools can cover the time by starting earlier in the morning for example. Or by having a forty minute lunch break or getting rid of afternoon playtime. Academies and free schools can do whatever they like. They can have their holidays when they like too.

I assume they wouldn't have a problem with their own staff leaving early on days when their DC's school shuts at lunchtime and there is no after school club then?

DH and I are both teachers and I find it infuriating when schools show so little regard for working parents when many teachers are working parents and as employers they often aren't willing to be flexible about their own staff leaving for childcare reasons!

@sol7

I assume they wouldn't have a problem with their own staff leaving early on days when their DC's school shuts at lunchtime and there is no after school club then?

DH and I are both teachers and I find it infuriating when schools show so little regard for working parents when many teachers are working parents and as employers they often aren't willing to be flexible about their own staff leaving for childcare reasons!

Another teacher who thinks that this is totally unreasonable.

Yes, school isn't childcare, but at the same time, at a time when nearly all parents have to work, it's ridiculous not to have all five school days the same length. It's inordinately difficult for parents (including those who are teachers of course) to magic up childcare for one afternoon a week, especially when virtually every other parent at that school will be trying to do the same.

It's dreadful that schools are underfunded, but there has to be a better way to manage it.

Can someone explain what PPA is? Is it a new thing?

@zurala

Can someone explain what PPA is? Is it a new thing?

PPA is time out of class for teachers to complete lesson planning and other work they aren't able to do during lesson time. It was introduced in 2005

Many schools round here have done it for years.

But in order to do it, they have to make the days longer on other days, so they started at 8:40 and finished at 3:20

It is for PPA time, and so that staff don't spend all weekend working.

Planning, Preparation and Assessment. Not new, and translates into 2 hours-ish a week to help with the 10-15 hours (or more) that teachers do outside of the school day to get everything done that is asked of them.