Teachers and parents at forced academy primary lambast incoming trust over plans to extend the school day

The public meeting about Waltham Holy Cross, where several speakers voiced concerns about the extended day

Teachers at an Essex primary school, facing a forced academy takeover, have accused the chief executive of the trust which is in line to run it of acting against “British values” in seeking to impose an extended school day there.

The publication of a document written by NET Academies Trust about the extension of the school day at Waltham Holy Cross primary school, in Waltham Abbey, provoked fury this week, coming as it did weeks after a community meeting heard strongly-voiced concerns about the plans.

What the document said

The document, which appeared on the school’s website on Tuesday without any direct letter of explanation to parents, presented the trust’s case in favour of lengthening teaching hours.

It stated that “research has shown that longer school days, if used effectively, can raise pupil achievement enabling more pupils to succeed”.

“Many of the earliest academies have extended their school day in favour of offering increased opportunities for pupils to participate in wider cultural activities and sport as well as to provide academic enrichment…

“Enrichment is recognised as being very important in helping pupils succeed in later life allowing them [sic] discover more about their passions. By [sic] offering these activities as part of a longer day enables schools to do this without compromising the core curriculum subjects.”

The document then stated how learning time had been “extended” – presumably at other schools within this trust – by 40 minutes per day, comprising a half-hour extension to the school day and a 10 minute reduction in the lunchtime.

This had involved teaching between 8.45am and 3.45pm.

The document added: “This enables us to teach core curriculum subjects during the morning and have sufficient time in the afternoon to teach a variety of other curriculum subjects.

Where necessary we have the opportunity to host additional lessons in the core subjects for pupils who are not working at age related expectations. He extended school day is further supported by before and after school extra-curricular clubs in sport, drama and arts. In addition to this each school offers a homework club.”

Reaction

Education Uncovered attended the community meeting on December 1^st at which a multitude of concerns were raised about the school’s impending takeover by NETAT were raised, with several speakers voicing unhappiness about the extended school day plans, and specifically their possible effect on family life and pupil tiredness. /news/137421/packed-community-event-hears-united-opposition-to-forced-academisation-plans.thtml

The evidence on extended days also seems mixed, as this piece in Schools Week – written after the government scrapped its own plans to offer cash to schools to support such moves – suggests.

But the publication of the document on the school’s website – in advance of the planned takeover by NETAT, which has in the offing for months but has still not happened – immediately drew anger from members of the campaign fighting NETAT’s arrival.

“What a horrible letter to send out before Christmas…there is no context to the letter like when it will start from or whether it will be a staggered start or anything…it’s just wound me up,” said one.

One member of the “Waltham Holy Cross parents’ committee”, Colin Potter, wrote to the school’s interim executive board chair to complain.

His letter stated: “Parents had requested on a number of occasions for evidence…to show that an extended day is educationally beneficial. Finally, an unconvincing statement, containing dubious evidence, was put on the school website yesterday, with no explanation or context…This has elicited really strong negative reactions from parents…and only serves to illustrate why parents oppose NETAT.”

A parent, Lauren Alston, immediately wrote a letter of complaint to Jo Coton, the trust’s chief executive. “Your timing has gone down a treat; posting this information to parents the day before we break up for the Christmas holidays you decide to spread your ‘good news’ that you are obviously hell-bent on completely disregarding parents’ views and ploughing ahead to convince us that your way is the only way forward.”

Alston said that extending the school day “is something that no parent I have spoken to is happy with yet we have been told it is non-negotiable”.

Then members of the National Education Union at the school – who constitute the vast majority of teachers – issued a very strongly-worded statement, expressing “opposition” to the plans and accusing Coton of acting “underhandedly” by not writing directly to parents and staff about them.

It stated: “We also wish to highlight to you that since 2014, Ofsted wish to see a school ethos and climate that espouses and promotes British values at every level.

“One of the core values…is the importance of democracy within our society and the inclusion of respect. We feel that, through releasing such a [document] prior to the [staff] meetings that must, by law, take place before the acquisition of our school you have violated these British values.

“By imposing such a drastic change to the school day in such a dictatorial fashion, and without considering the impact that this will have upon the school staff’s family and free time, you are undermining our fundamental right to a voice within our school community.”

The letter pointed out that new employers have to discuss terms and conditions for staff transferring to their organisations, and that these should be subject to “meaningful consultation”, but that this had yet to happen.

The letter added that the document had made “no mention” of the likely impact on staff of the extended school day.

On Wednesday, a letter from Coton to parents about the plans then appeared on the school’s website.

This stated that changes to the school day would not be made “until the school is ready to make such changes;” that the trust would meet parents and staff to “explain the benefits…and ascertain your views and comments” and that the trust was “always reviewing what we implement…based on the feedback from pupils, parents and staff”.

Trust’s response

Asked about the document, Coton told Education Uncovered: “This is something we have trialled in our [existing] Harlow schools that has proven to be very successful with positive outcomes. 

“The rationale behind the extended school day is not only to provide additional learning time, it is also to ensure that during term time we provide a full and varied curriculum. 

“By standardising shorter terms we give pupils (and staff) time to rest and relax. This has proven to be beneficial to pupil and staff well-being and has reduced absence. 

“I have reassured the parent community at Waltham Holy Cross Primary School that changes made to the timings of the school day will not be made until the school is ready to make such changes… I will be inviting parents from Waltham Holy Cross to visit our Harlow schools in the new year so they can meet with parents, pupils and staff and see first hand our work and I extend this invitation to you.”

Snap analysis: if you’re in a hole, stop digging.

In what was a passionate community meeting to discuss the NETAT takeover, in amongst a host of complaints one specific concern kept being voiced.

This was the imposition of longer school hours on a community which had not asked for them.

Given the sensitivity that that proposal generates – and Waltham Holy Cross’s parents are not alone in voicing unhappiness about the prospect of longer school days for their children – and the general sense of conflict with respect to this forced academy saga, the way this latest development has been handled seems astonishing.

It seems remarkable that this trust - which has faced months of bad publicity as parents, and, latterly, staff, have objected to this takeover - would not at least seek to go cautiously with a plan, working by persuasion rather than directive.

The fact that information on the plans went out on the school’s website without even being personally addressed to parents has only compounded the sense of grievance in this community.

The sense that those running trusts, and the Department for Education, can simply impose their vision on communities unilaterally seems underlined by this latest development.

A community which seems largely behind the school’s headteacher is being asked to accept a trust which now seems to be at war with both a large number of parents and its teachers.

What a mess.