Tuesday 25 January 2011

Idea 1: Rearrange the School Year

Rearrange the school year into four terms of ten weeks each.

The current school year does not suit a well planned curriculum. It shuts out professional expertise that could enrich the learning experience and causes hard working parents unnecessary difficulty arranging childcare on ‘in-service’ days.

Four ten week terms, standard across all of Scotland, would allow better modular planning of courses; it would open up schools to accountants, anthropologists and architects to provide professional expertise; and it would remove the hassle to thousands of parents of finding childcare on all those Spring Mondays.

2 comments:

  1. Yes please. I am a busy working mother and my professional life is booked up to eighteen months ahead and I'm constantly in trouble for being double booked on parents evening, school concerts and off days....

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  2. Ten weeks is a long time, particularly for little ones. I suggest a week break in the middle which would give four terms of 11 weeks with a two weeks break between them:

    5 -1 5; -2; 5 -1 5; -2; 5 -1 5; -2; 5 -1 5;

    The remaining days would be needed to cover the statutory bank holidays and any training/parents or community activity.

    Margaret

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