School timetable fears rubbished
Henry Ainslie • Published 13 Oct 2011 09:30
PROPOSED cuts to the school day at an Erskine school will not impact on pupils' education, the council has stressed.
Senior staff at St Anne's Primary sent a letter to parents last week outlining proposals to shorten the school day by 15 minutes.
This would bring St Anne's in line with the vast majority of surrounding schools which already close at 3pm.
Among reasons offered by headteacher Mary McFadden was the impact of "resourcing restraints", including the loss of both clerical staff and classroom assistants.
As reported in the Gazette, the number of classroom assistants was cut by 40 per cent across Renfrewshire in the past year as part of council budget cuts.
The St Anne's plan would see 15 minutes cut from the school's lunch break.
In the letter, Ms McFadden said staff reductions meant less support was available during lunch, and the proposed cut would reduce the risk of pupil injury.
Research carried out by staff showed the majority of bumps, cuts or scrapes happened towards the end of break times.
Although the proposals have been widely welcomed by parents, critics, including Erskine councillor Jim Harte, say staff reductions are compromising pupils' safety at lunch times and quality of education .
However, council education chiefs have rubbished any suggestion of heightened safety risks, adding while staff reductions have been an inevitable consequence of the current financial climate, any changes will be wholly beneficial to the school.
Council education convenor Councillor Lorraine Cameron, told the Gazette: "It's disappointing that a genuine attempt to consult with parents has been misrepresented.
"There is categorically no risk to pupil safety in this proposal nor any reduction in school time."
This article appeared in The Gazette 12 Oct 11
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