Kelly plans shake-up of school hours
The Education Secretary is planning to extend school hours in order to help working parents.
Ruth Kelly will announce plans for an extended schools scheme on Monday, under plans which could see English schools staying open from 8am to 6pm.
The £680 million Government programme would enable all children under 14 to join in extra- curricular activities by 2010.
As part of the “Kelly hours” scheme, both primary and secondary schools would be required to provide activities to pupils which could include include sports, language tuition, music and art groups and breakfast clubs.
Teachers would not be required to supervise activities outside lesson time, with responsibility instead falling on volunteers or private companies.
Announcing details of the new proposals ahead of a visit to a London primary school on Monday, Ms Kelly told the Sunday Telegraph: “The best schools are delivering extended services already.”
“They know that children will be better placed to achieve their full potential if they are in child care that allows them to complete their homework, keep fit and healthy and have fun.”
But one teaching union has warned that the budget for the new activities will be spread too thinly.
“The emphasis given to the lack of pressure on teachers to deliver this scheme is welcome, but for many schools, their ability to offer such activities will be constrained by the physical limits of their premises and lack of appropriate resources,” said Steve Sinnott, the general secretary of the National Union of Teachers.
“Such problems cannot be overcome simply by wishing them away,” he added.
