does a school have to consult parents before implementing a 4.5 day week?

[fivennotfour]

got letter home last week. After the summer, school will only be open 4.5 days instead of 5 due to budget retrains.

there will be limited placed for the Friday after school club - probably nowhere near as many needed. Many working parents will be shafted.

Anyhow, there was no consultation by school. just a letter letting us know that these changes will come.
Can they just do it.

Our government has cut education funding to the point where hard decisions have to be made.

Plenty of schools have chosen to stop meeting the needs of children with SEN to save money instead. At least this way the negative impact is felt across a larger cohort of children.

Consulting parents wouldn't provide the head with the funding required to keep the school open. They've clearly decided that this is the best way to work within the budget available (or at least closer to it) without negatively impacting on the children's education.

I'm sure they know that this will make problems for working parents but school is not there to provide childcare so it isn't really their problem to solve.

I was shocked when I moved to Ireland too - but, afterschool clubs are readily available - whereas here no thought seems to have gone into this - they're just announcing it and letting people muddle through.

Reminds me of people building housing estates, but not bothering to make sure there are doctors surgeries, dentists, schools, or sufficient water supply to support them.

It's OK to change, but make sure the services are going to be in place to support it.

I actually think this is the best solution for the heads-they are totally stuffed with the current budgets. Annoying for working parents, I’m sure, but if there literally isn’t enough money in the pot, what else can do they do?

Which LEA is this, OP?

The head of the last school I worked in actually increased the teaching time a few years back. He brought the start time forward from 8.55 to 8.45, cut 15 minutes off the lunchtime, scrapped afternoon play and added ten minutes to the end of the day (3.30 instead of 3.20).

The parents weren’t asked about this so I would imagine they don’t need to be consulted on such things. If there is no loss to teaching time, I think it’s a good idea.

What are the new start/finish times Monday-Thursday?

...without negatively impacting on the children's education

if I cannot change my working hours (likely) and not get a place in the after school then I will lose my job which will have an affect on me paying the rent/bills. There will be a fallout which will impact my DC's education

It's the norm round here (parts of Scotland).

As a result, most working parents do a 4-day week or wfh on a Friday as all the kids do activities on a Friday pm.

As well as the childcare cost, the major disadvantage is that all the INSET days & public holidays are scheduled for Monday's, so it really complicates your working week.

It wasn't worth me working a Friday, as by the time I'd paid travel & childcare (plus my personal taxation meant that it pushed me up a tax band) - it wasn't worth it.

The kids whose parents work a Friday really miss out - parties, hobbies etc are done on a Friday pm.

Holidayshopping

in total, the school days is 25 mins longer Mon-Fri (start 10 mins earlier and finish 15 mins later).

Schools in Edinburgh have been doing this for decades - at least 30 years. But they didn't just spring it on parents half was through a term.

School isn’t there to provide childcare though.

You’ll have to find a way. My kids school doesn’t have an after school club on site and there’s no way I could make it to the place when I work so far away. So we have to shell out for more expensive childcare.

Your anger is misplaced. If the school had enough funding then this wouldn’t be an issue.

It used to be the case that schools were required by law to go through a strict process of notice and consultation before changing the school day, but this was changed around 2011. The change was happening just as I was giving up being Clerk to the Governors at the school I worked at, so I’m not sure of the details, but according to this gov.uk page now they are ‘expected’ and ‘advised’ to consult parents, staff and the local authority, but no longer required by legislation to do so.

Ironically, the emphasis given by the government’s news story is on the freedom this will give schools to extend the school day rather than to close early.

it wasn't worth me working a Friday

but many cannot afford to work a 4 day week and even if, it won't be possible in many jobs.

If enough parents complain surely they will have to re-think

I doubt it. I would imagine a huge amount of thinking has already gone into this-it’s not something a head would do lightly. Parents complaining will not magic up any more money-the problem still needs to be solved.

My friend’s school made 2 teachers redundant last year and are getting rid of all support staff this year. They also have classes of well over the legal limit of 30 (ks1). I can see them going down to a 4.5 day week as there’s nowhere else left to make savings.

While I sympathise with your situation, you do know the reason, don't you? It's like every public service under the Tories - deliberately being starved of funds under the 'austerity' myth. Public servants bust a gut to keep everything going and cover the cracks - until it no longer becomes possible. This is such a case. I suggest you complain to the Education Secretary, not that you'll get any decent response.

Spreading, you're correct. PPA is 10% of teaching time and has to be allocated when the children are in school. So schools which are moving to a half day Friday, and many are, are actually breaking their legal responsibilities by then using the Friday afternoon for PPA. Many will say that it's better for the staff as they get to plan collaboratively, but again, what a teacher does during their PPA cannot be directed!
It's purely a cost cutting exercise.

It's sad that one of the ten richest countries in the world isn't funding primary schools adequately, so that decisions like these are being made to save money.

Although PERSONALLY I would much rather school closed early on fri in primary, and maintained the quality of teaching, rather than making cuts in other areas which affect the quality of teaching. I work PT though and I appreciate this is really hard for FT working parents without spare cash for extra childcare.

I hope the school would try to provide enough affordable places in after school club on Fridays for the parents who need this.

I would direct any anger at the government rather than the school through.

Schools are having to think as creatively as possible about how to manage the provision of effective education on limited and ver diminishing resources.

I assume there will have been discussions about the best way to nurture the few resources they have and that the provision of childcare for longer will not make the savings needed.

I think it’s a shame that it was presented as a fair accompli. People are more likely to appreciate the difficulties, if they are given the facts and feel part of the decision making process, but it has happened and parents have been given some time to see how it can be made to work for them.

Ultimately, schools have to provide an education in the best way they can. That might not be the best thing for parents in terms of child care.

I'm not sure consulting parents will do anything.

There was a change in school hours in one of mine DC schools - longer day to accommodate a new thing. The parent consultant meeting was this is happening.

Most people were fine but few had outside activities they could no longer get to and few shift worker affected with pickups– it wasn’t a huge change but the school wasn't interested in any problems caused.

I can only suggest you look at local child minders as back up if school childcare place isn’t there and talk to employer about condensed hours if applicable to your work.

@Iggly my thoughts exactly! The think is uk parents are so used to the schools being the all encompassing provider of food, education and childcare essentially!! And now they need to reduce it in some way shape or form! Their job is to educate so that is the last to go, I honestly think reduced days and removing kitchens and hot dinners in schools could be a solution for a lot of them!! Parents need to take it upon themselves to sort childcare, it is NOT the schools responsibility.

but many cannot afford to work a 4 day week and even if, it won't be possible in many jobs.

School is not childcare though.

I suppose they could get rid of some teachers and claw back money that way and just have class sizes of 45. That would have huge repercussions on standards and safety though and I would imagine a huge turnover of staff and difficulty with recruitment and retention. It would probably lead to a lot of teacher absence and then a succession of supply teachers which parents seem to get very upset about on here.

The impact on results would probably also push the school into SM, mean the SMT all get sacked and the school is gobbled up into an academy or closed permanently.

The solution is for the government to fund schools adequately-that’s who parents should be complaining to.

@fivennotfour our letter wasn't specific about the clubs either - just said something like 'places will be carefully planned' but I don't imagine they'll be able to guarantee spots for every child affected.

We only got the letter on Friday so not been able to discuss it yet. If club places are first come first served it's going to be difficult to know what to do about jobs. There's nobody else family-wise who can help us out with childcare.

OP have you got any other childcare options? Are your school having a meeting or anything? Ours seems to just be 'that's that' about it.

For those saying it's tough in schools, I know. I was a teacher and been saying it years. I'm glad they've found a way to limit redundancies and it awful they are in the position because of budget. But like OP, it's the finality of the letter and unclear info given that's leading to lots of concern and questions.

I am sure that Jewish schools adopt these hours ,with regard to their religious beliefs and it appears to work ok . After school clubs run very successfully on that basis and it would also give an opportunity for dental/eye tests to be taken on a Friday afternoon therefore preventing missed schooling.

I would imagine once it’s up and running-people will seize this as an opportunity for a business. Childminders, karate club, brownies, gymnastics etc

People who will collect from the school and take the children to a club etc.

Where there’s a need, something will evolve.

clever
no, no family either. unless we get a place, I will probably have to leave work. My job role would not allow an early Friday finish.

It's utterly scary for us -

(but yeah, so many here my anger is misplaced. I only have my job to lose (and all that comes with having no income). it's no biggie!

I disagree with reducing hot dinners @Youmadorwhat actually - many schools don’t actually have proper kitchens and the food is just heated up on site anyway.

Plus all the government cuts have meant that vulnerable children need those meals than ever before. The children didn’t chose poor parents.

This will happen in more and more schools. Don't blame them, blame those who don't fund education properly.

At least teachers now have time for planning In my day we were expected to do it all outside our working hours.

@Holidayshopping true but all at extra expense.

I do understand school is education, not free childcare, but when we applied for the place there was no info about these changes. The deadline for reception places was a week or so ago so it seems they have waited until that's passed. For me I feel like we could have potentially made other school choices that wouldn't impact on my husband/me being able to work.