CONCERNS have been raised about the impact the proposed 4.5 day school week could have in Dumfries and Galloway.
Unison the union is worried about the effect of reducing the primary and secondary school week on both workers and families.
A fresh round of consultation is due to start later this year on the plan to finish on Friday lunchtimes and also extend the school day slightly Monday to Thursday so no learning time is lost.
But Unison have already come out and expressed their misgivings.
Local branch secretary J’an Andrews, who lives in Lockerbie, this week said: “We are angry that the council saw fit to request feedback in advance from school headteachers, yet there are hundreds of other council workers who would also be affected, along with the wider community who haven’t been consulted yet.
“While the idea of a four-and-a-half-day week may be well received by some, we are fuming that the views of school support staff have not been included so far.
“Many school support staff have more than one job and it could be really difficult for them to maintain their working arrangements with a change in hours. Many workers are also parents and work fulltime so will face childcare issues if schools start earlier and close later.
“As far as we know the changes wouldn’t apply to nurseries or early years centres initially, so this causes further problems for families with pre-school children and children at schools if they are all on different timetables.”
Ms Andrews pointed out that families “have enough to juggle at the moment between working and arranging childcare without adding further complications”, adding: “We all know that women are generally the primary carers, so they are going to be impacted the most, both council employees and parents in the community.
“We are also really worried about how this will impact on workers with health conditions and disabilities who have had reasonable adjustments made, will it be possible for these to continue with the new timetable when they are having to work longer days?”
In addition, she questioned if services to special needs pupils could be adversely impacted with many of the staff working on temporary contracts or on a casual or supply basis.
Finally, Unison listed school transport arrangements, the risk of truancy on the proposed half day and the lack of facilities for young people when they were not at school which could lead to anti-social behaviour – all as issues that need attention and answers.
The union says it is issuing a survey to its members about the proposed changes and potential impact to gather their views.
