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.

Welcome to austerity Britain.

School budgets have been decimated. We've been saying that for years ... more children, less money.

This is a sensible decision for schools to take as it will save them a lot of money in staffing costs for PPA time and they can turn off lights/heating/etc in rooms that aren't being used.

Unfortunately, it means redundancies for school staff, so more families scrambling for income. And it means parents have to find a way to cover childcare for younger children who can't be home alone. But I imagine clubs will spring up in the areas to cover the afternoon being taken as PPA time as they do over the holiday periods.

@Iggly I know that but I think outsourcing packed lunches in deprived areas could help (like in Ireland)Or keeping kitchens in schools with a higher need.

Are there no local childminders who pick up from your school? Or who don't pick up from anywhere else at that time and might be able to start?

I think it's a reasonable solution to a horrible problem which as others have said can only be fully resolved by proper funding. My two reservations are: will teachers be working longer hours for the same money (extra unpaid hours already worked notwithstanding)? And if schools manage to save money through this scheme, will they just be congratulated and then squeezed further in the next round of cuts with nowhere else to turn?

I'd also like to see more employers adopt a flexible working approach as standard which should benefit parents and carers (and everyone) in the long term, but I appreciate the OP has a job where this is not currently the case.

it would also give an opportunity for dental/eye tests to be taken on a Friday afternoon therefore preventing missed schooling.

Depends my dentist has just stopped opening Friday afternoons at all - and orthodontist appointments are so scare you have to take what you are given as many parents have to with any hospital appointments needed for children.

We do better with after school dental GP appointments or which are harder if the school day is longer.

All I can suggest OP is that you look at all the childcare options in your area - childminders, private nurseries that may do pick ups and hope like mad you get a school childcare place.

oldmum22 the jewish schools near me (there are several) obviously do reduced hours on a Friday, but have shorter holidays and/or some Sunday teaching to make up the difference.

‘School isn’t childcare’ no, it isn’t. However, it’s expected primary children attend and its expected they can’t take care of themselves.

So do we propose that everyone with a child does not work at all until they are 10/11, because school is not childcare and so something arbitrary should be there?

I would have been in real trouble if my children’s school had decided to do this.

I actually do like the idea and it would suit my family well, but clearly it's going to be a big problem for some people. And of course it's really different to a system where parents already know about this years in advance and plan accordingly.

Also Irish teachers don’t get PPA time, I think if uk teachers we’re under less pressure and had a shorter day, a better work life balance, better pay etc then they would need PPA time.

As a teacher I'm interested in the teachers' hours....

Ppa is 10% of total lesson time.
Kids in school for 25 lessons, ppa is 2.5 of those hours, not 2.5 on top.

Cover teachers are not used in secondary, teachers are just not timetabled for those hours.

So if schools do a condensed week including ppa, giving teachers a free Friday afternoon for extra daytime prep without reducing pay, that could be a good incentive for recruitment/retention.

I can't see how money is saved other than in the kitchen and heating/lighting.

Parents - some employers allowing flexible working would allow extra work on the longer days, and short Friday too. Win win.
Less flexible - childcare costs lower on long days, more on short - no change in costs.
Working school hours only on 5 days - increase in costs.
Teacher in another school - increase in costs (zero flexibility, no WFH, no annual leave).

Condensed week in secondary - no issue, kids old enough to look after themselves for the extra time.

Auntiedolly
I am a secondary teacher in Northern Ireland. Teachers here have had a pay freeze since 2011. No hint of a pay rise in the near future either. So in real terms we are earning less each year.

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.

Talk to the LEA they may allow preferences to be changed - I had a family member that was allowed to do that for transport reasons just after the deadline.

It's interesting to see that of the schools mentioned already doing this, or proposing it, Friday afternoon is by far and and away the most frequent session to miss.

In my workplace we have many working parents. Our work is as flexible as can be within the field, but there's no way we could all be off on a Fri PM. If this becomes the norm surely there should be some onus on schools not to default to Fri PMs off on the assumption that everyone likes a long weekend?

I do understand school is education, not free childcare, but when we applied for the place there was no info about these changes.

No, that’s unfortunate. I guess though, a parent with a child in any year group could say this wasn’t the plan when they applied, but the changes have to be introduced at some point though and it will always annoy someone.

If it doesn’t suit you-you could always put your child’s name down at another school. It wouldn’t surprise me though if this becomes a wide-spread solution to the funding crisis nationally so other schools will probably be adopting it in future too.

It annoys me that people are only just beginning to realise how serious the crisis in education funding is - when it directly affects them.

Op of course you have a right to be angry. This country needs people to get more and more angry! About the NHS about cuts to Mental Health and the state of education! Now it impacts you, you are angry! Parents of SEN kids, kids on the CAMHS waiting lists, parents who's kids have few qualified teachers are angry too!

Direct iy at the govt! Or campaign for subsidised childcare/wrap around care. This govt believes if you have childrej pay for them yourself! Like the US, where families have to budget for Summer Camp etc.
We could look to the Scandanavian model and increase taxes to subsidise childcare, but we're bit there yet and therefore childcare is not provided.

I expect in a Jewish school you would be aware of the early finish on Fridays, and maybe even have chosen for that reason if you're religious and do shabbat.

Are there no local childminders who pick up from your school?

I spoke to a few who do pick ups from scho but non of them vacancies and are not sure if they will have any come September.

there are childminders with places but they do not collect from this school. I would have to take DC to them - which I cannot as I am at work. It really isn't that easy for some!

I would imagine that Friday afternoon clubs and childminders will soon spring up to fill the need.

clever, I would contact the Lea first thing on Monday to see if there are spaces elsewhere. You must feel extra cheated!

Well to be honest this is the result of continuing austerity measures. An LEA near me is probably going to have to reduce all schools to four long days next year because they just cannot afford to keep the schools open.

Education is not child care. Have you investigated local childminders who could do Friday afternoons?

I would imagine the governors have exhausted every other option. If you will actually lose your job then maybe you will have to look at transferring DC to another school?

@SortingFinances

Condensed week in secondary - no issue, kids old enough to look after themselves for the extra time.

I'm disappointed that you, as a teacher, would make such a large, inaccurate generalisation.

Are you a single parent op?

The law in England requires an LA state school to be open for 2 sessions every day.

www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1999/3181/made

It may be worth asking the HT/governors/local authority about this if you believe the school will not be obeying the law. Personally I think it is appalling that the school is even considering doing this.

As it is a primary school you could raise it with Ofsted as safeguarding concern given that some young children may be left unsupervised.

You need to complain to your MP. School funding is in crisis because the government chooses to cut spending.

@fivennotfour it definitely isn't easy. I know some people will think it's great, do clubs or go to activities etc. Even if clubs etc are created, we then have to pay for that as well as not be working. Or pay for someone to collect the children and have them. If you're on a tight budget it's not feasible. I don't think my area is particularly affluent, so it will be very difficult for lots of working families.

I'm going to be in the position that 1 dc will be fine going into nursery, which is remaining open til 3.15, but other dc going into reception which will close at 12.45. Even if I put the nursery child in just for mornings, they finish at 12. Logistically tricky and yes a massive faff - unless I'm simply not at work. Which of course has a huge impact on our finances.

OP can you look at moving schools if there's no other childcare options? Or would your work ever consider more flexible hours at all?