A SECOND York school is planning changes to the day.
York High School in Acomb, which has about 750 pupils, is consulting parents over plans to change the school day to start at 8.30am with teaching ending at 2.35pm.
Currently the school day begins at 8.40am and ends at 3.10pm.
As The Press reported yesterday, parents at Millthorpe School in South Bank expressed their dismay at plans to change the start and finish times for the school day from the current 8.30am-3.25pm to 8.15am-2.35pm there from September.
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York High is part of Excel Learning Trust - formerly South Bank Multi Academy Trust which has an additional six schools in the city: Millthorpe, Carr Junior, Knavesmire, Scarcroft and Woodthorpe and Inspire Academy.
Gavin Kumar, Principal at York High School said “Our primary goal is to ensure that our students are engaged and equipped to learn, and we believe that the proposed changes to the school day will support students to achieve, both academically and in their personal development.
"By beginning and ending the school day slightly earlier, each day from 2.35-3.25pm we will be able to offer a wide range of high-quality enrichment activities to allow students to develop as individuals, stay healthy, support their academic progress and make their school experience more memorable and enjoyable.
“We are also proposing the inclusion of ‘movement time’ at the beginning and end of each lesson, enabling students to transition to their next class without the worry of being late. Our partner school, Millthorpe, has implemented this successfully, and it has proved highly popular among students.
“We are now seeking stakeholder feedback concerning our proposals, the details of which were shared with students, families and staff on Friday 31 January. I would like to encourage all stakeholders to share their thoughts and feedback either by email or in person at one of our consultation sessions.”
A spokesperson for Excel Learning Trust, said: “As a Trust we are committed to providing an environment that fosters learning, health, and overall wellbeing for our students and staff.
"By making some small adjustments to their school days and allowing more flexibility around the end of the school day, students will be able to attend a club or stay to complete their homework at school in a supervised setting but still leave at 3.25pm, the same time as they do now. They will also have more time to take part in other extracurricular and social activities, all of which contribute to improved wellbeing.
“Whilst we fully support the proposed changes our schools wish to make, we are committed to gathering as much feedback as possible before moving forward with any changes, so encourage all stakeholders to have their say via their schools.”
As well as an online form to fill in York High parents can email d.becton@yorkhigh.elt.org.uk or book to attend a session in person on, Thursday (February 6) between 9am and 10am, on Monday (February 10) from 10.30am-11.30am or on Valentine's Day from 2.30pm-3.30pm.
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