British schools consider lessons three days a week to cut high energy costs and teacher wages | Abroad

Teacher wages will rise in September, by five percent for teachers who have been employed for a longer period of time and 9 percent for newcomers. Energy costs are expected to rise by up to 300 percent.

Including Mark Jordan – President Creative Education Fund– which has 17 schools in central and eastern England with a capacity of 13,500 pupils – says he has heard how the three-day week was being thought of to save money. It is also possible to freeze employment, cancel catch-up programs after the Corona period and cancel investments in buildings.

According to Principal Robin Bevan of the popular Southend Boys’ High School in Essex, some schools consider at least a four-day week, if not at all planned. He calls it “realistic prospects” for underinvestment in education.

The alternatives may be shorter school days, larger classes, fewer subjects and “strict limits” on energy consumption, especially for small schools or school groups. According to Bevan, his school should have digged into its reserves last year and they will be limited anyway.

If schools choose to organize shorter teaching weeks, it won’t be the first time. Dozens of British schools have already done this in 2019 because they said they could not afford to educate their students for five full days.

A spokesperson for Britain’s Ministry of Education told The Telegraph that he understands schools face higher costs, but that public schools are required to teach at least 32.5 hours. “Thousands of schools are already doing this with the budget they have.”