Consultation Regarding the Proposal to Change the Times of the School Day for September 2018/19

We are working towards a slight change to the start and finish times of the school day, which we are aiming to be implemented from September 2018.

The recommendation will be founded on what we as professional educational leaders believe will support us in our quest to continue raising standards in the school, whilst taking into consideration the views of all stakeholders.

Should Parents/Carers wish to express their views or ask questions, there is a Parent/Carer question and answer meeting which you may attend, detailed below. It would be helpful if you could e-mail Susan Smith at Moor End Academy at office@edu.moorend.org indicating if you are intending to attend the meeting so that we can assign the most appropriate venue.

Timescale for the consultation for all key stakeholder groups

Date	Activity
January 2018	Proposal presented to South Pennine Academies & CEO, Ms J Acklam, OBE
February 2018	Proposal discussed with all major feeder primary schools (Oak Primary, Mount Pleasant and Beaumont Primary Academy)
Monday 19^th and Tuesday 20^th March 2018	Proposal presented to staff and subsequent sessions for staff not attending the training day including opportunity for Question and Answers
Tuesday 27^th March 2018	Proposal presented to the Local Academy Board
Monday 16^th April 2018	Consultation proposal presented to all key stakeholders: Parent/Carers, staff, local schools, parent/carers of Year 6 students who have applied to Moor End Academy for September 2018, partners, contractors and transport
W/B Monday 23^rd April 2018	Information to students around the proposed changes to the school day
Wednesday 25^th April 2018, 4-5pm	Parent/Carer Question & Answer Meeting in the SCITT building opposite Beaumont Primary Academy
Friday 4^th May 2018	Closing date for consultation responses from all stakeholder groups
W/B Monday 7^th May 2018	Collate responses
W/B Monday 14^th May 2018	Final decision to be made by the CEO of South Pennine Academies, Ms J Acklam, OBE
W/B Monday 14^th May 2018	Inform the Local Academy Board of the consultation responses and the final decision
W/B 21^st May 2018	Confirmation of decision with new or unaltered arrangements to all stakeholders
September 2018	Start of new Academy day

Introduction and Context

These minor adjustments made to the start and end of the school day will lead to a more efficient use of the time that we have with our students and staff.

What are the advantages of changing to the proposal?

To ensure that each subject area has sufficient time to deliver their curriculum
Additional time to deliver extra-curricular, enrichment, inter-school fixtures as well as academic intervention due to an earlier finish time for students
This will enable Academy staff to participate in additional professional development sessions due to an earlier finish time for students

Potential Implications for Parents/Carers

Whilst we recognise that some parents/carers will be dependent upon the school day to facilitate their own working routines, our primary institutional objective is that of educational provider and our decision must be based upon what we believe is best for the students in supporting them to maximise their potential at school. In respecting the professional routines of parents/carers, we must be sure to give maximum notice to give them reasonable time to make adjustments should there be a change with effect from September 2018.

Moor End Academy & Beaumont Primary Academy – The steps to changing the day

General Consultation: Once approval to consult has been granted by the CEO, Ms Jane Acklam from South Pennine Academies Trust, we will consult with all stakeholders.

Consultation with parents/carers: Consultation with parents/carers will take place via our school messaging service and by hard copy for those parents/carers with no e-mail address and/or access. The consultation will also be promoted via the Academy website.

Consultation with staff: All persons employed at the school in either a teaching or support capacity, will be consulted, to establish and respond to any concerns or objections.

Notification of change: When South Pennine Academies Trust takes a final decision about changes to the day, consideration should be given to any comments made during the consultation. All parents/carers, employees of the school and other interested parties will be notified of the intended change three months before the change is due to take effect.

Start and Finish Times for other Local Primary and Secondary Schools 2017-18

School/ Academy	Start	Finish	Time in school	Time Per week
Moor End Academy (current)	8.45am	3.15pm	6 hours 30 mins	32 hours 30 mins
Moor End Academy (proposed)	8.40am	3pm	6 hours 20 mins	31 hours 40 mins

Beaumont Primary Academy (current)	9am	3.30pm	6 hours 30 mins	32 hours 30 mins
Beaumont Primary Academy (proposed)	9am	3.15pm	6 hours 15 mins	31 hours 15 mins
Main Feeder Primary Schools
Oak Primary School	8.50am	3.15pm	6 hours 25 mins	32 hours 5 mins
Mount Pleasant Primary School	8.45am	3.15pm	6 hours 30 mins	32 hours 30 mins
Other local Secondary Schools
Colne Valley High School	8.45am	3.10pm	6 hours 25 mins	32 hours 25 mins
Newsome High School	8.45am	3.00pm	6 hours 15 mins	31 hours 15 mins
Royds Hall Community School	8.30am	2.55pm	6 hours 25 mins	32 hours 25 mins
North Huddersfield Trust School	8.30am	2.55pm	6 hours 25 mins	32 hours 25 mins
Almondbury High School	8.40am	3.05pm	6 hours 25 mins	32 hours 25 mins

Your Questions Answered

Will the decision be a democratic one made by staff or any other stakeholder group?

No. The recommendation will be made with more weighting given to the educational reasoning which staff have been invited to comment on. We will consider the views of staff, parents/carers and students, particularly if a large proportion indicates significant inconvenience. Where there is an obvious reasonable adjustment to support students, parent/carers and families we will look into these. However, we will bear in mind that if there is change, this will become the ‘norm’ for new staff and incoming students, and in time, all of our current staff and students will leave.

Will individual parents/carers be able to appeal against a decision to change should this be the recommendation?

No. Providing that the process is completed to allow three months written notice, there is no mechanism for appeal.

Will the bus times remain the same?

We are consulting with Passenger Transport with the aim of aligning the school bus times to any change of start/finish time. However it needs to be noted that there are no allocated buses.

If you would like to discuss this matter further, please contact your child’s current school.