Glaring problem with Premier’s proposed school hours shake-up

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has said the state’s regular 9-3 school day needs a shake-up – but there’s glaring problem with his proposed plan.

OPINION

On Tuesday, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet revealed plans to “think outside the box” and modernise the school day.

“The school hours of nine ’til three, that was set up at a very different time in life … the world in the 1950s is very different from the world we live in today,” Mr Perrottet said.

Great, I thought, it’s finally being recognised that school finishing at 3pm is a nightmare for some families, especially for solo parents or when both parents work full-time.

But, no. The Premier’s proposal could involve changing the school day to 7am to 1pm.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said school hours need a shake-up. Picture: Gaye Gerard/NCA Newswire

But here’s the glaring problem: What is going to happen to the children whose parents don’t finish work until 5 or 6pm?

After-school care is being bandied around as a solution but what will the cost be to place two or three kids into an after-school club that spans five hours? This isn’t feasible for families on a low income. As far as I can see, Mr Perrottet’s proposed school hours are a solution only for the wealthy.

Growing up, my parents were both nurses and it was already difficult for them to find care for me and my brother around our 8.30am to 3.15pm school day and their unpredictable shift work. They relied a lot on my grandma as paying out for after-school pony clubs and archery classes just wasn’t an option.

So let’s say, for example, you take parents with two kids who live in Sydney and are both nurses, each earning the average nurses wage of $74,877. They are already contending with living in a city where the average house price has ballooned to $1.375 million and will have paid $130-a-day for their kids to be in childcare before they started school.

After-school care currently costs around $30 a day, so that’s $5400 per child a year if they go 180 days a year. So for these nurses that already means they’re paying $10,800 a year (the bill for Mr Perrottet’s soon-to-be seven children would come to $37,800). But presumably five hours of after-school would be double that or more – so potentially well over $20,000 a year for two kids. Not to mention the cost of holiday clubs.

Parents are already paying out for after-school care and holiday care. What would these new hours mean in care costs?

Everyday Aussie families that work in low-paid but essential jobs simply cannot afford this. Finishing school days at 1pm would leave hardworking people who can’t pay for nannies or fancy after-school clubs in an impossible situation. Many Millennials are already in a financial position that leaves them choosing whether to have kids or buy a house, and this kind of change could sway them towards the latter.

It could also see one parent, and let’s face it, most likely mums, having to reduce their hours or give up work altogether to try to find the time to collect their children at 1am or risk paying exorbitant fees for homework clubs.

On top of this, children who have no choice but to spend from 7am to 6pm at school and after-school care will be exhausted. Kids in rural areas who get the bus would need to get up at 5am to make it to school for 7am – it’s ludicrous!

The past two years have been chaotic for many parents with young kids. The pandemic and homeschooling have seen them juggling jobs with childcare. It’s baffling to see why Mr Perrottet has decided now – when kids are embarking on their first ‘normal’ school year since 2019 – is the time to shake things up and experiment with school opening times.

Riah Matthews is the commissioning editor for news.com.au.