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.LENGTH OF SCHOOL SESSION TIMES:
NUT BRIEFING FOR DIVISION SECRETARIES
The following procedure, set out in the
Session Times (England) Regulations 1999, must operate when the governing body
of any community, voluntary controlled or community special school proposes to
make changes to the time of school sessions.
The school day is divided into two sessions,
morning and afternoon. The procedures set out below apply to proposals to
change the start or finishing time of the school day. The procedures apply also
to proposals to change the lunchbreak by altering the length of the morning
session or the beginning of the afternoon session.
The relevant regulations are reproduced
below.
Regulation 2
(1) Where the governors propose to make any
change in those times, they must:
(a) consult the local education authority,
the headteacher and all teaching and non-teaching staff employed in the school
before taking any of the actions mentioned in subparagraphs (b) to (h) below;
(b)prepare a statement:
(i) indicating that they propose to make a change in those
times;
ii)specifying the proposed change and when
they propose that it should take effect;
(iii)drawing attention to any comment on the
proposal included as an annex to the statement by virtue of sub-paragraph (c)
below and including such response to the comment as they may consider
appropriate; and
(iv) giving details of the date, time and
place of the meeting which they are required to hold by virtue of sub-paragraph
(f) below;
(c) if so required by the local education
authority, include as an annex to that statement such written comment on the
proposal as the authority may provide for that purpose;
(d) produce that statement and any annex in
such language or languages (in addition to English), if any, as they consider
appropriate or as the local education authority may direct;
(e) take such steps as are reasonably practicable to secure:
- that the parents of all registered pupils at the school
and all persons employed at the school are given (free of charge) a copy of the
statement and anyannex not less than two weeks before the meeting which the
governing body are required to hold by virtue of sub-paragraph (f) below; and
- that copies of the statement and any annex are available
for inspection (at all reasonable times and free of charge) at the school
during the two week period immediately preceding that meeting;
(f) provide an opportunity for discussion of the proposal at
a meeting which is open to:
(i) all parents of registered pupils at the
school;
(ii) the headteacher; and
(iii) such other persons as the governing
body may invite;
(g) consider any comments made at the
meeting on the proposal before determining whether any change in those times
should be made and (if so) whether the proposal should be implemented with or
without any modification; and
(h) except where paragraph 2 below applies,
not less six weeks before any change in those times is to take effect:
- inform the local education authority of the change and
of when it is to take effect; and
- take such steps as are reasonably practicable to secure
that the parents of all registered pupils at the school are so informed.
(2)Where the proposal
concerns the times at which a school session is to begin in the morning or end
in the afternoon (or both, as the case may be) the period referred to in
paragraph 1 (h) above shall not be less than three months."
Regulation 3
"No change in the times of a
school session shall be made as to take effect:
(a)where paragraph 2 above applies,
otherwise than at the beginning of a school year
(b)in all other cases, otherwise than at the
beginning of a school term."
DfEE Circular 7/90 sets out the following
suggested minimum weekly teaching times as a guide for schools:
Age 5-7 21 hours
Age 8-11 23.5 hours
Age 12-16 24 hours
The above guidance does not outline the
standard minimum hours to be operated by schools. It stands as non-statutory
guidance and has advisory status only. In addition, there may be attempts to
increase the length of school sessions to accommodate new developments in the
National Curriculum, such as the introduction of citizenship either as
guidelines at Key Stages 1 and 2 or as a a requirement at Key Stages 3 and 4.
These proposals have not as yet altered the status of DfEE guidance to schools
on the length of session times. It is NUT policy to oppose the lengthening of
sessions to accommodate such initiatives. Further advice will be issued to
divisions if any such development takes place.
The provisions of the Pay and Conditions
Document, entitling classroom teachers to "a break of reasonable length between
schools sessions", remain unaltered.
Where NUT members in a school object to and
seek advice about proposals to increase the length of school sessions,
including any proposals which would reduce their lunchbreak entitlement,
division secretaries are advised to take the following steps.
The first step is to check whether the
procedures have been followed. Where there has been an apparent failure to
follow the procedures required by the Regulations, division secretaries should
challenge the headteacher and governing body and seek withdrawal of the
proposed changes until such time as the procedures have been followed. Where
necessary, the LEA should also be informed and asked to intervene.
Where this approach does not succeed,
division secretaries should contact the relevant NUT office in order that
consideration may be given to the appropriate means of maintaining this
challenge, which might include formal legal challenge. Where the objections
involve opposition to proposals for which the required procedures have been
followed, division secretaries should contact the relevant NUT office in order
that consideration may be given to the appropriate Union response.
P.CSSTR AM(MLC) 8
December 1999 |
