NEYLAND COMMUNITY SCHOOL is giving its 300 pupils Friday afternoons off, with that time set to be used to provide further staff training.
The school posted on Facebook on Monday (Apr 8): “Following the recent consultation on the proposed asymmetric working week, the governing body have voted to make changes to the timings of the school day from September 2019 with an amendment to the start time of the original proposal.”
Monday to Friday the part-time nursery will continue to run 8.45am – 11.30am. Full-time nursery, reception and Years 1 and 2 will finish the day at 12.15pm, or 12.45pm if staying for lunch, compared to the 3.10pm finish from Monday to Thursday. Years 3 – 6 will finish at 12.25pm, or 12.55pm if staying for lunch, compared to the 3.20pm finish from Monday to Thursday.
The post continued: “Alternatively, finish time on Friday will be 3pm if your child stays for Friday activities. These activities will be put on by the school at no cost to parents/carers. Breakfast Club hours will remain the same, 8.00am – 8.45am. The Neyland Kids Club after school club facility within our school will continue to run until 5.45pm daily.”
The school states: “The aim is to further raise standards and improve outcomes for all learners across the school.
“The benefit will be increased professional learning and thus development, further upskilling the whole workforce. This will directly and positively impact on pupils through them gaining new skills and benefitting from getting a better education.
“The biggest impact on pupils’ outcomes is proven to be collective teacher efficiency, which can only happen with dedicated time.”
Pembroke Dock Community School and Ysgol Harri Tudur are two more schools that have both started closing early on Friday afternoons.
Ysgol Harri Tudur, a high school with around 1,500 pupils in Pembroke Dock, is open from 8.40am to 3.15pm Monday to Thursday. On Friday it shuts early with school running from 8.40am and stopping “formal learning” at 1.30pm.
Ysgol Harri Tudur’s website says: “Our new school day includes an early finish on Fridays to allow for an extensive programme of pupil enrichment activities, whilst also enabling professional development time to support teachers.”
Pembroke Dock Community School opens at 08:45 on Fridays and shuts at 12:15pm on Fridays or 12:45pm for pupils staying for lunch. The rest of the week it opens 8.45am with the school day ending at 3.15pm for early years and reception, 3.20pm for years one and two and 3.25pm for years three and up.
Schools wanting to change opening and closing times must abide with the Changing of School Session Times (Wales) Regulations 2009, which includes a full consultation with, amongst others, staff, parents and the local authority.
Pembroke Dock Community School consulted on shutting early in spring 2018. The local education authority said the main reason it gave at the time was: “To allow for additional time for staff training.”
Tim Pratt, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru, said he could not comment on schools shutting early in Pembrokeshire: “It would not be appropriate for me to comment on the decision of an individual school to close early because we don’t know the circumstances.
“However, in general, the insufficiency of funding to Welsh schools is likely to cause situations where some schools may decide to close early.
“This saves a small amount of money in terms of keeping premises open, and it means that with constrained staffing levels, schools are still able to allocate time for planning, preparation and assessment.
“The public can rest assured that schools will always take decisions in the best interests of their students and staff despite the very difficult funding conditions. But it is absolutely vital that the level of funding is improved as a matter of urgency.”
A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “This is a decision for schools and governing bodies.
“Schools must fully consult before making any changes, ensuring that the number of teaching hours are not being compromised and that the curriculum is being delivered in its entirety.”
