Fife Council proposals to shorten the school week could impoverish families, it has been claimed.
Speaking at the first of a series of engagement meetings across the kingdom to discuss options for a radical change to how education is provided in Fife, concerned Glenrothes parents Chris and Erika Woodbridge pointed out the potential dangers.
More children could be left in poverty if parents have to cut their working week to cope with with shorter school days, they said.
“If there was to be a half day then parents who are working could be forced into changing that to look after their children,” said Mr Woodbridge.
“We all have financial obligations and so I am concerned kids are not going to benefit if their parents are bringing less money in.
“It’s a downward spiral and more children could be living in poverty,” he said.
While Fife Council stressed options for change were at an early stage, changing timetables and the school week, with the possibility of a free afternoon for children, were on the table at the meeting in Glenrothes High School on Monday night.
The reasoning is to bring the teaching contract at 22.5 hours into line with the time children are currently in school 25 hours.
Education officer Donna Manson said matching teachers’ and pupils’ weeks would mean pupils would have their education delivered by one teacher which would improve their continuity of learning.
For primary school children one option put to parents last night was to cut the existing school day by 30 minutes per day, shortening the afternoon classes, while the second was to cut the week by 2.5 hours and have an early closure day.
But Mr Woodbridge said it was already difficult just now trying to juggle all the finishing times for his children who ranged in age from nursery to secondary education.
“Erika already works permanent backshift to be there for them this would make it more difficult.”
However, another parent, who is also a teacher and didn’t want to be named, said it had to be remembered children were at the heart of the conversation.
“I am here as a parent and am here to engage and listen to the process and listen to what other parents perceive and to engage in the discussion as I am interested to hear what other parents are thinking,” she said.
But someone else in the audience challenged the fact these proposals were yet more change so soon after the introduction of Curriculum for Excellence, asking how long it would be before any proposals became hard facts and were implemented.
“I am worried you are putting another layer of change on top of that,” she said.
But it was stressed by education and children’s services executive director Craig Munro that this was the earliest stage of engagement.
“The common vision is to make sure everybody gets the education they deserve.
“I am very proud to be director in Fife, there is a lot to be proud about, but there are areas we can improve on.”
He said the emphasis wasn’t on the length of the day but crucially on the quality of the teaching and how systems were designed to be able to bring teachers together to reflect on the quality of learning and teaching.
Also mooted was the possibility of headteachers being responsible for more than one school.
Directorate resources manager Shelagh McLean outlined four proposed models for leadership a headteacher of a single school or for groups of schools, leadership for the age range from three to 18 or the community campus model of education.
“We have a headteacher for nursery, for primary, for secondary are there other ways we could do that which would allow us to develop leadership?
The second engagement meeting takes place at 6.30pm on Tuesday at Kirkland High School.