PROPOSED changes to the school week in the region have sparked controversy among school staff, parents, and the public.
That’s the assertion from public sector union Unison, which has conducted a survey of members to assess their views on council plans to reduce the school week to four and a half days.
And Unison has found “significant concerns” about the plans and the considerable impact such a change would have on those working at schools, parents of school pupils and the community at large.
Jan Andrews, secretary of the Dumfries and Galloway branch of UNISON, said: “The council must recognise that many parents work full time, five days a week. Their working lives are structured around the school day to ensure drop off and pick up times and any childcare needs are arranged around school hours.
“To chop a half day off the school week is quite simply hitting many families’ work and childcare arrangements with a sledgehammer. Parents quite simply cannot re-arrange their working lives to fit in with a four-and-a-half-day school week.
“While it might mean a better work life balance for some, for many families it adds yet another headache to all the other plates families have to spin.
“Different hours for nursery schools, primary schools and secondary schools would create even more problems.”
She called for the local authority to provide evidence that there will actually be community facilities available to school children on the half day they are not at school, adding: “One or two events in Dumfries are of absolutely no use to pupils in Annan, or Newton Stewart or Castle Douglas or Lockerbie or Stranraer.”
More information is also being requested on the director of education’s claim that the new arrangements would improve children’s wellbeing, as well as on the promised extra curricular activities.
Meanwhile, UNISON is looking to work with teachers’ union, the EIS, on addressing their concerns.
Jan added: “We fear this will impact on our children’s education. There are far too many concerns about this to press ahead. These include the impact on childcare, having to reduce working hours, reduced income, impact on staffing levels, fears for vulnerable children where school is their safe space, availability of free school meals, risk of harm to children, less socialisation opportunities, poor attendance, increase in anti-social behaviour and impact on community-based working in limited hours.
“These concerns are over and above the additional stress to parents and school staff.
“The council must take time to fully consider what the consequences are for these changes, not just in schools but throughout the community.”
