Flexible hours: The latest Qld school to trial a four-day week

The Acting Premier has clarified exactly how many hours teachers will be expected to work as the state government paves the way for more flexible class schedules in public primary and secondary schools. VOTE IN OUR POLL

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As the state government paves the way for all public primary and secondary schools to introduce flexible class schedules from next year – including four-day weeks and shorter days - the Acting Premier has clarified exactly how many hours full-time teachers will be expected to work.

The radical shake-up – effective from the first day of term in 2024 – was circulated to all public school principals on Monday and sets out the process for introducing flexible hours, such as trials and extensive consultation with the school community.

The Department of Education released a blueprint for schools to change class times and shorten the school week for reasons including teacher availability, or student and staff “wellbeing and engagement”.

The policy takes effect if schools want to change their start or finish time by more than 30 minutes, and can apply to all students or only specific year levels or cohorts.

The new policy stresses that principals must ensure supervision is provided for any students who, due to transport constraints or family issues, are at school before the scheduled day starts, after the day ends, or on a day where attendance is not required.

Acting Premier Steven Miles was adamant, however, that teachers would not be working four-day weeks.

“We expect our public servants, if they’re working full-time, to work full-time,” he said.

“We expect our students to go to school full-time. We expect our teachers full-time, to also work full-time.

“So I guess in some way, this is bad news for all those kids who read the headlines and thought they could take Fridays off.”

Queensland Secondary Principals Association president Mark Breckenridge confirmed principals had recently received the blueprint and there had been “no concerns raised … at this point”.

Mr Breckenridge, who the Department of Education consulted for feedback on the draft policy, said student safety and supervision was a key factor in the new procedure.

“There will be different arrangements for students in junior secondary who are aged 12 and 13, as opposed to students in years 11 and 12,” he said.

“Recognising that those students can’t be sent home because they need parental supervision and we don’t want 12 and 13-year-olds potentially without supervision.

“I think you will find that schools will be providing more than just supervision for junior secondary students; it would be alternative learning that those teachers would be engaged in delivering.

“But that is a different conversation to senior secondary students who are already quite independent and doing additional study options through TAFE or university, or they have a part-time job.”

Students and schools are likely to have more flexible arrangements.

The Queensland Academies Creative Industries Campus, located within QUT Kelvin Grove, is the latest school to flag a potential four-day week trial for next year.

Principal Mick Leigh emailed parents saying staff had decided on the idea during discussions around how to better support students.

“This compressed week would have the same amount of contact hours and curriculum time compressed into four days,” QACI parents were told.

“The change was proposed to assist wellbeing for students and reduce cognitive stressors which lead to declining attendance and burnout. At QACI, the overall attendance rate is 86.9 per cent; 19.5 per cent of students have chronic absenteeism (less than 80 per cent attendance).

“Wednesday was decided upon (as the day off) with the intention to break up the cognitive load for students. A lot of VET and university courses are offered on Wednesday. Mondays have a lot of public holidays, Friday may not be as useful for providing access to campus.

“This day would be for independent learning.

“Students may elect to come into campus to work, study at home, undertake TAFE or tertiary courses or undertake wellbeing activities.

Queensland Academies Creative Industries Campus principal Mick Leigh

“Twelve teaching staff, one head of department and one executive would be on site on each Wednesday per week. This would be a rolling rotation.”

Corinda State High School also put a similar proposal to its community recently.

Its proposed trial of a four-day school week could also start as soon as term 1 next year, and will be mainly aimed at senior students, who will be expected to “work on school work’’, but from their homes, for one day per week.

Minister for Education Grace Grace said Queensland schools were expected to operate “five days a week, Monday to Friday”.

“This requirement is about ensuring the safety and engagement of students, which has to be the number one consideration at all times.

“Any changes to individual school operating hours under the new policy must be approved by regional directors, including any trials.

“I would expect any decision to change school hours would be subject to rigorous scrutiny, that it not be taken lightly and that students continue to be engaged in schooling activities the whole week.”

Speaking on ABC on Thursday morning after The Courier-Mail revealed the plans, Ms Grace defended her compressed school schedule blueprint saying it would still ensure the safety of younger students.

“They operate over the five day week, they make sure that students are all catered for,” she said.

“Like I said, this isn’t simply we’re going to lock the door one day, and nobody turns up.

“This is not what this is all about.”

QACI Kelvin Grove will be next to trial flexible schedules.

Ms Grace said the updated policies and procedures were to enable alternative schedules in schools with consistent and significant checks and balances.

“It has to be approved, it has to be consistent, it has to be rigorous and it’s going to be subjected to severe scrutiny with anything that you do,” she said.

“For example, our Academy for Creative Industries is looking at it because of the manner in which they operate in that space of creative industries for some students.”

“If they want to do that for next year, they must go through this comprehensive procedure.”

The Education Minister said parents and carers had been consulted in the creation of the blueprint along with parent-teacher groups and principle associations groups.

“It’s never done in isolation and the procedure is there to accommodate those who are thinking of doing it, the procedure was really out of date,” she said.

“There’s approvals given at the moment, those particular checks and balances weren’t there.

“This policy updates that to ensure we’ve got all the checks and balances, so parents, students, teachers, staff, everybody is happy if there are any changes being contemplated.”

Ms Grace acknowledged teacher shortages were a driving factor for the changes to allow students flexibility to engage in extracurricular activities.

“Obviously we’ve got a national workforce plan, there is no secret that every single state and territory in Australia is having a shortfall of teachers and we’re doing all we can to implement it.

“But schools often offer that very additional curriculum such as sporting, training, engagement with unis, engagement with industry.”

Several schools in South East Queensland have already implemented shortened or flexible school weeks.

Students at Varsity College’s secondary campus on the Gold Coast finish at 12.45pm every Friday, with the pupils given the option of going home or being free to study on school grounds. Palm Beach Currumbin State High Schoolhas a similar policy on Mondays.

Meanwhile, Mountain Creek State High School on the Sunshine Coast operates a “split shift” timetable, where year 10-12 students start their day at 7.30am and finish at 12.55pm, while year 7-9 students arrive at 10.25am and go through to 4.05pm.

SCHOOL RULES

THE NEW POLICY APPLIES IF:

● The current school hours are to be altered by more than 30 minutes – the day is to commence before 8.30am or after 9.30am, or finish before 2.00pm or after 3.30pm.

● The number of school days per week/fortnight are to be changed – for example switching to a four-day teaching week.

Reasons for changing school hours could include:

● The availability of resources and facilities – for example specialist staff, science laboratories, library, playground/ovals.

● School community need

● Student and staff wellbeing and engagement

CHANGES MAY BE APPLIED TO:

● All students

● Students in specific year levels

● Students in certain subject areas or undertaking certain programs

Originally published as Flexible hours: The latest Qld school to trial a four-day week