Proposal for the Asymmetric Week 

10th February 2021

Dear Parents and Guardians

Monkton Priory C.P School September 2021

We would like to revisit with pupils, parents and staff a proposed change to: The start and end times of the school day and changes to the length of the school day.

Monkton Priory School is a successful school that is keen to continue to further raise both academic standards, improve well-being for the children and develop within them an independent ability to apply knowledge and skills. One of the key purposes for the proposal is to allow for additional time for staff training. This additional training time for staff would allow us to further upskill all staff in order to develop them into the best skilled workforce, with the aim to further improve teaching and learning for all the pupils. Four schools within the Pembroke Cluster are already operating an asymmetric week. The proposal will also allow stronger collaboration and transition between all the schools in the Pembroke Family of Schools.

The proposed new timings:

Monday – Thursday: Foundation Phase – 9:00 am – 3.30 pm, KS2 (Years 3 – 6) - 8.50am - 3.30pm, Friday: Foundation Phase – 9:00 am – 12:00 pm (12:30 pm if staying for lunch); KS2 (Years 3 – 6) – 8:50 am – 12:00 pm (12:30 pm if staying for lunch).

An earlier finish time on a Friday would also enable pupils, parents and staff to benefit from improved well-being through increased family time. There would also be opportunities to benefit from long weekends to spend time with friends or engage with sport, hobbies and informal learning. It would further support our parents who run and work in local businesses and mirror the flexibility in shift patterns shown by major employers in the local area, e.g. the nine-day fortnight operated by one of our region’s major employers.

Teaching staff would have an additional two hours professional development training every fortnight (budgeted for from the directed time budget). It could take many different forms and could be used to work as a professional learning community (PLC), as a whole staff or collaboratively with colleagues from the secondary school. On alternate Fridays, staff would benefit from wellbeing time and use the time for themselves in order to address their work life balance and wellbeing. I’m sure you are aware that as well as the directed teaching time, staff put in many long hours every week. It would also be expected, for example, that meetings that currently take staff out of class during the week would be rearranged for the Friday afternoon. Another key benefit is there would be significantly improved opportunities to work with the Ysgol Harri Tudur that will provide long term benefits for a lot of our pupils.

Please be assured that pupils would continue to have the exact same amount of teaching time as the present. We currently exceed the Welsh government suggested minimum teaching hours which are 21 hours a week for Foundation Phase (FP) pupils and 23 ½ hrs for Key Stage 2 (KS2) pupils.

A breakdown of the new hours can be provided with extra information on request.

In addition, for pupils that remain in school on Friday afternoons there will be activities organised around life skills and hobbies.

Staff training hours: Total training hours an academic year

Current hours 5 INSET days. One INSET day is usually set aside for moderation activities, which leaves four training days a year.

5 ¾ hrs x 4 = 23 hrs. 23 hrs a year.

Proposed hours 5 ¾ hrs x 4 = 23 hrs + (2hrs x 19 weeks)

61 hrs a year

The proposed model for September 2021

• The Free Breakfast club will continue as normal.

• Pupils not attending Breakfast Club may come on to the site from 8.40 am for KS2 and 8:50 am for Foundation Phase.

• There will be activities running on a Friday afternoon for those pupils who are unable to take advantage of the early finish on the Friday.

• A hot lunch, as usual, will be available to pupils on the Friday.

• Foundation Phase and Key Stage 2 children would be able to go home on a Friday at 12:00 pm, or stay on site to have lunch if they wish (until 12:30 pm).

Timetable for consultation

Governing Body agreed to consult. Discussed in Full GB Meeting in November 2019 and February 2021

Consultation with the LA, trade unions, parents, staff and pupils Monday 20th January – Tuesday 11th February 2020

All comments both electronically and paper copies were returned (to reception) by Tuesday 11th February 2020 (This was completed last year and submitted to GB and LA)

Drop In meetings for parents Wednesday 5th February 2020 9am – 10am (This was completed previously)

Governors’ meeting to consider the responses of the consultation Meeting 1st March 2021

As we have previously consulted, all information from parents etc have been stored from the first consulation, where the proposal was deemed as a positive move inline with other schools in the Pembroke cluster. However, we would be pleased to receive your comments on the proposal to the changes of the start and end times to the school day. If you wish to do so, please contact school by email, admin.priory@pembrokeshire.gov.uk This information will be shared with the GB when the proposal will be discussed on March 1st 2021.

All comments are to be in by 3pm 25th February 2021

Thank you for for continued support

Dylan Lawrence