Falkirk Council: Fallout over special meeting called over plans to reduce school week

Independent councillor Laura Murtagh strongly believes the plans should be discussed by members of the education, children and young people executive (ECYP) before any consultation begins.

However, as the start of the consultation has already been agreed by members, Councillor Murtagh has had to requisition a special council meeting in an attempt to win support.

In February, Falkirk councillors agreed that a consultation could begin on the council’s plans for what they are calling an ‘asymmetric week’, which would mean pupils finishing school at lunchtime every Friday.

This would reduce the school week for pupils from 25 hours per week to 22.5 hours per week in primaries and from 26.6 hours per week to 24.75 in secondaries.

According to the council’s standing orders, a decision cannot be revisited within six months unless two-thirds of councillors agree.

The SNP administration has 11 members of the 30 councillors in Falkirk, so without their support there is no guarantee that the motion will be heard.

But tonight the SNP accused opposition parties of a “cynical attempt” to delay engagement with parents and pupils over the plans to reduce the time in the classroom.

The SNP, whose budget passed on 29 February and included Officer recommendations to engage fully on proposals to realign the school week before a report is brought back for members to decide, will vote to ensure that this process continues without delay or hindrance from politicians.

Speaking ahead of the meeting council leader, Councillor Cecil Meiklejohn, said: “Less than eight weeks ago, council agreed our budget for the next financial year which included a plan to engage comprehensively on officer proposals to change the school week.

"Less than eight weeks ago, Labour put forward a budget that made no reference to stopping this engagement from going ahead. The only councillor to make any reference to stopping this engagement also proposed damaging increases to household bills – all of which was voted against, and rightly so given the cost-of-living crisis.

“We must ask why the opposition are so afraid of engaging with those who matter most in this issue. Why on earth would anyone choose to overturn the decision to hear the voices of parents and pupils?

“What we are looking at is an attempt to subvert the democratic decisions made at our budget meeting in February. Opposition councillors may be running scared of the public, but our administration and the SNP place the highest value on our communities, and it is right that this engagement process continues unhindered, underpinned by the democratic decisions made less than two months ago.”

But Ms Murtagh – who was formerly the SNP’s spokesperson for education – hopes that members of all parties, as well as fellow Independents, will agree that such a contentious topic should be discussed openly and transparently.

She said: “All that is being asked for is that the detail of any proposal to make changes to the school week comes before ECYP committee first. That way proposals can be fully outlined, clearly understood and properly scrutinised before going out to consultation."