We are looking at our school times in response to the government asking all schools to work 32.5 hours a week (this includes lunchtime) by September 2024. Last year, juniors started at 8.45 am and infants at 8.55 am although their classrooms were open and staffed from 8.45 am if parents wanted to drop them earlier. As a first step towards 32.5 we requested infant parents bring their children to school at 8.45 am from September 2023 and governors have now confirmed that infant children should now start at 8.45 am. Children have an hour for lunch time and the extra time time could be achieved with a longer lunchtime. However we feel that extra teaching time would be more useful and a longer lunch time is not necessary as no children go home for lunch. All children (apart from nursery)now have the same start and finish times. Children coming into school after this time will be marked as late.
Now we are looking at how we find the remaining 75 minutes to bring our hours up to the new expectation of 32.5 hours per week by September 2024. It is worth noting that Woodside children can in fact already access this time by attending some of our many clubs and activities and that Woodside is open to children for the full 190 days a year while many schools are not. However, we are seeking to comply with the directive in the way that most benefits our children and which we can afford. We are currently looking at the possibility of finishing at 3.15 pm instead of 3.00 pm or possibly starting earlier. If you are a parent we would very much like to hear your views on this.
Please note, these times are for children from Reception to Year 6. Nursery hours will remain the same as they are now.