Family of Schools expresses disappointment at trade union response to proposed school day changes
Outwood Grange Academies Trust (OGAT) has expressed disappointment at the trade union response to the Trust’s plans to extend the school day across its secondary academies.
The majority of the secondary academies across the Outwood Family of Schools do not currently meet the Department for Education's (DfE) minimum expectation of a 32.5-hour week, an expectation which needed to be met by September 2024. As such, many UK schools have already made changes and extended their school day in accordance with the government guidance.
The Trust, which has 28 secondary schools in the North of England, carried out a comprehensive 12-week consultation period with trade union partners and colleagues, which has led to significant modifications to the original proposal, despite claims from the National Education Union (NEU) that the ‘proposed changes were being implemented without proper consultation of the workforce’.
There is no proposed increase to the school day at Outwood Academy Kirkby as the school already adheres to a 32.5-hour school week, and has done so since before it joined the Outwood Family of schools in September 2022.
The move to a longer school day will ensure all students benefit from the recommended amount of teaching and learning time, enhancing educational outcomes and providing a richer curriculum experience. The Trust is dedicated to providing an outstanding education for all its young people, and meeting the government's minimum expectation of 32.5 hours is a fundamental part of that commitment.
A spokesperson for the Trust said:
"We believe every minute in school counts, and increasing our students' learning time is vital for their academic success and personal development. Our pupils have told us they want to develop life skills such as financial literacy, more careers education and more time to debate issues they experience in their lives, and our re-modelled week will mean we can deliver this and more for them.
"We understand that changes to the school day can have an impact on our colleagues and families. That's why we underwent a thorough 12-week consultation with our trade union partners and colleagues. We are grateful for the constructive feedback we received, which has been instrumental in shaping our final plans. The original proposal has been significantly adapted based on this feedback. We have also made a commitment to continue to meet regularly with the trade unions to identify any unnecessary workload so that the new school week is overall ‘workload neutral’.
“Despite this genuine consultation and the changes made to the proposal, we are surprised and exceptionally disappointed that our trade union partners have chosen to take strike action over this matter. This disappointment is heightened by the fact that industrial action has been called during the crucial exam season, a time our students have worked incredibly hard for and deserve a stable and supportive environment to demonstrate their learning.
"We respect the right of our colleagues to express their views and remain open to constructive dialogue and collaborative working, but we also want to ensure our students are prioritised and provided with the best possible education, particularly during their exams."
Outwood Grange Academies Trust remains dedicated to working closely with all stakeholders to ensure a smooth transition and continued success for its students, while mitigating any disruption caused by industrial action.
