Schools In England And Wales Consider Shorter Days

[6Foot2]

Link: Schools in England and Wales consider shorter days

 

Some schools may close early on some days because of budget pressures on teaching time, union says.

 

Schools in England and Wales are considering closing early two days a week because they cannot afford enough teachers to cover the timetable, a union has said.

 

The warning came at the annual conference of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), where the education secretary, Justine Greening, was heckled by teachers over plans for more grammar schools...

 

We are suffering a budgetary squeeze, but this has not been raised as a possibility.

[Andrew_C]

Let's spend £gazillions re-introducing Grammars. That'll fix it.

[Andrew_C]

Let's spend £gazillions re-introducing Grammars. That'll fix it.

[PotNoodleTech]

There is no hope. We're doomed.

[AMLinington]

It seems to me that schools might be better off STARTING later than finishing earlier. Studies* have shown that the adolescent brain learns less effectively earlier in the day and requires more sleep.

 

* I saw it in a journal somewhere when I did my PGCE but can't remember the reference.

 

Personally I hope they DO reintroduce Grammar schools with the 11+ entry requirement - perhaps parents might take their childs' education more seriously if they have to take an exam to get in...

[Achandler]

We have a grammar school system here, the grammar schools are great for the more able with parents who push them. Which results in a school full of the more able, with parents isnterested in their students learning and they get better results. There is no argument, this is a fact.

 

The consequence is that the "other" schools then have the students who are less able and struggle more in school, those whose parents aren't as interested in getting their children into the better schools. Which then results in a school that is worse then the equivalent school now.

 

You create a 3 tier "state" school system. It benefits the best, and disadvantages the others.

[elsiegee40]

We have a grammar school system here, the grammar schools are great for the more able with parents who push them. Which results in a school full of the more able, with parents isnterested in their students learning and they get better results. There is no argument, this is a fact.

 

The consequence is that the "other" schools then have the students who are less able and struggle more in school, those whose parents aren't as interested in getting their children into the better schools. Which then results in a school that is worse then the equivalent school now.

 

You create a 3 tier "state" school system. It benefits the best, and disadvantages the others.

 

Only "worse" in terms of attainment. You're never going to get high numbers of A* grades in the non grammars.

 

The secondary moderns often do really well in progress measures, but the parents don't see that with their grammar goggles on.

 

Anyway back on topic: I agree that a late start might succeed better than an early finish

[6Foot2]

...perhaps parents might take their childs' education more seriously if they have to take an exam to get in...

A slight generalization is implied here. I didn't go to Grammar school. My son is not going to Grammar school. However, this does not mean that I am not interested in his school work, and his results.

[Achandler]

On topic I don't think changing the times actually help unless they reduce actual teaching hours from say 37.5 hours a week, or support staff actual hours. Less contact time doesn't result in less salary as such. We have a reduced time on a Thursday, and the teaching staff still stay till 4 anyway. So their is no cost savings, you need to reduce actuall salaries to save real amounts of money, as staffing costs is the biggest cost in schools. Which is what is already happening!

 

 

With all dure respect to the schools (I have worked in Grammars, their secondary siblings and a "normal" secondary), the behaviour in each varies hugely, in general grammar school students are better behaved and it is a sliding scale to their secondary siblings because inevitably the more challenging children are less academically able, cause more disruption for everyone and might make a more able student progress less. I understand that levels of progress are now measured, and we are better then some grammars on that measurement but that doesn't mean that the school doesn't suffer from the issues I highlighted before.

[TwistedHelixis]

Complete off topic - I look after a number of primary schools and the one with the 11+ exams is the one that has parents that are very wealthy and can afford extra tuition. I don't think the parents are hugely more engaged in their child's schooling but can afford for them to succeed. I kid you knot, at the end of the day all the kids walk out of school and straight in to the houses up and down the road to continue studying. If the kids from the disadvantaged family had these options I am sure most would achieve better academically.

[TwistedHelixis]

Complete off topic - I look after a number of primary schools and the one with the 11+ exams is the one that has parents that are very wealthy and can afford extra tuition. I don't think the parents are hugely more engaged in their child's schooling but can afford for them to succeed. I kid you knot, at the end of the day all the kids walk out of school and straight in to the houses up and down the road to continue studying. If the kids from the disadvantaged family had these options I am sure most would achieve better academically.