Schools to consider four-day week to save money

27 October 2022, 13:14

Panicked parents have hit back at the potential plans. Picture: Getty

Timetables could be tightened as many plan to slash staff and increase class sizes to cut costs.

Schools could introduce a four-day week with restricted timetables and slashed staff to cut back on costs, a new report has found.

Many plan to let go of employees, whittle down lessons and increase class sizes amid the "catastrophic" budget squeeze facing Britain.

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The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) spoke to 630 headteachers and business leaders about issues schools were facing and found that 17 of the institutions were considering cutting one day a week from their learning calendar.

Almost half were seriously thinking about reducing options in the curriculum, with a staggering 98% saying they were under pressure to make savings not only this year, but in the future too.

Schools could face a four-day week to cut costs. Picture: Getty

In a bid to tighten spending, the survey found that 60% of the schools could lay off teachers and put more pupils into each class without splashing more cash.

But panicked parents have hit back at the idea, claiming it would rob pupils of vital education and put a huge strain on working parents who would need to find additional childcare.

Director of parent pressure group UsForThem, Arabella Skinner, said: "That school leaders are in a position where they have to contemplate a four-day week is a betrayal of our children.

"Parents are in despair as to what this means for their children’s education, and also the impact this will have on their ability to hold down their jobs as we enter a cost of living crisis."

Pupils could face tighter timetables and larger class sizes. Picture: Getty

The budget crunch comes amid the rising costs of energy bills and staff pay awards.

Some secondary schools spoke of financial strain, revealing they now have to find around £500,000 extra to stay afloat.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of ASCL, has called for the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Britain's new PM Rishi Sunak to "make education a priority by improving the level of funding in their forthcoming financial plans".

He explained: "School leaders in this survey use words such as catastrophic and devastating to describe the financial situation they are facing and the impact on their pupils."

A spokesman for The Department for Education said: "We understand that schools are facing cost pressures which is why we are providing schools with £53.8billion this year in core funding, including a cash increase of £4billion for this financial year."