Pressure growing on Falkirk Council over plan to cut school hours
dailyrecord.co.ukPolitical pressure is continuing to grow on Falkirk Council as it considers reducing school hours in a bid to tackle a £62 million funding gap.
Labour MSP Monica Lennon has now written to the Scottish Government minister, Jenny Gilruth, about her concerns around Falkirk Council's proposal to reduce the learning week.
The local authority is currently consulting parents about its plans to close schools at 12.30 pm on a Friday, which would mean primary pupils losing 2.5 hours and secondary pupils just under two hours of education every week. Read more: Village school with just 11 pupils could be closed by Falkirk Council In her letter, Ms Lennon told the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills: "I am concerned, as I know many families in my region are, about the potential impact reduced learning hours will have on pupil learning and attainment, and the additional costs for families of childcare if the Friday afternoon closure is implemented without proper mitigation plans in place."She adds that many "concerned parents have raised their concerns around equity with other children across Scotland and real concerns around a drop in attainment".The Central Scotland MSP has asked what action the Scottish Government will take in light of this to ensure that proposed cuts do not go ahead.
She also asked Ms Gilruth if she agreed with previous Education Secretary, Shirley-Anne Sommerville’s statement that: “Any measures that materially reduced the number of hours children spend learning in school would be expected to reduce pupil attainment and wellbeing and undermine efforts to close the poverty related attainment gap. "Falkirk Labour councillor Euan Stainbank added: “The previous Education Secretary stated in 2023 that any
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