School of thought is no change

Published Date: 04 September 2008 By Andrew Keddie

IT was, said director of education Glenn Rodger, "a successful consultation exercise on which no-one could agree on anything". However, asked what they thought of possible changes to the scholastic year, holidays and even a reduction of the school week from 5 to 4.5 days in 2010 and beyond, the majority of parents, staff and pupils opted for no radical change.

Mr Rodger’s comments at Monday’s meeting of Scottish Borders Council’s education executive, reflected some variance in the 698 responses the consultation, carried out over four months, attracted.

But when the results were collated, 310 wanted only a minor change: an extra week’s holiday in February to break up the 12-week Chrsitmas to Easter term.

Just 98 respondees wanted a formal four-term year, while another 99 sought longer winter (two weeks in October) and shorter summer holidays. A further 79 favoured the status quo while the remainder offered no response or other suggestion.

On the question of a 4.5-day week, with pupils heading home on Friday lunchtime, 450 were against and 125 were for, with the others, apparently, not bothered either way.

The executive thus agreed to back the status quo with the addition of the February holiday.

This pleased Councillor Carolyn Riddell-Carre who believed cutting the school week by half a day would simply instill a “Poets Day” mentality among Borders pupils.

She later explained this was an acronym for Push off Early, Tomorrow is Saturday.

But Councillor Michael Cook (Eyemouth) felt parents had “got it wrong”.

“I, for one, would have been delighted if my child was involved in some organised sporting or relaxing leisure activity on a Friday afternoon,” he explained.

Most of the 452 parents who took part in the consultation, however, cited problems accessing childcare if the week was shortened.

Mr Rodger’s report conceded: “In setting the patterns of the school year, it is recognised it is impossible to please everyone.”

 

 

 

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