英国小学生激增 或实行三天上学制

因近几年小学入学人数剧增，学校教室不够用，英国伦敦部分小学可能从2015年开始实行每周三天上学制。也就是说，将所有在校生分成两拨，一拨周一到周三上学，另一拨则从周四到周六上学，在校时间为早8点到晚6点，其他时间家长需另外想办法安置自家儿童。目前，各小学的上学时间为每周一到周五，每天早8点30分到下午3点30分。据英国地方政府协会调查统计，未来两年内，英国部分地区的小学生数量将是现有小学可用教学位置的两倍；2016年9月开学时，将有三分之二的地区要面临学校空间不足的问题。目前，已有部分地区的学校开始采取临时措施应对学生数量激增的问题，比如在操场上修建教学楼以及修建临时教室等。另外，还有地方提议实行上下午轮班制，一拨学生早8点到下午2点上学，另一拨则从下午2点到晚8点上学。

Thousands of pupils could be forced on to three-day weeks because of a chronic shortage of school places.

Working parents face the ‘logistical nightmare’ of having to arrange childcare on week days when their youngsters would normally be in lessons.

The radical measure may be introduced by a London council in 2015 at dozens of primary schools as a huge influx of youngsters threatens to fill classes to bursting.

Other local authorities are already using emergency measures such as building over playgrounds, constructing temporary classrooms, introducing extra reception classes and creating ‘titan’ schools of more than 1,000 pupils.

In some parts of England there could be nearly twice as many pupils as available primary places in two years, according to research by the Local Government Association.

Up to two-thirds of councils may have to deal with more youngsters starting primary school than their school can fit in by September 2016.

Education chiefs are considering a three-day week in which half a school’s pupils would go to lessons from Monday to Wednesday and the other half from Thursday to Saturday.

This could see the borough’s 21,430 primary-age pupils in classes for three days from 8am to 6pm instead of 8.30am to 3.30pm for five days, with working parents having to find childcare on the remaining days.

An alternative is a shift system in which one half of a school works from 8am until 2pm and the other half from 2pm until 8pm.

Rocky Gill, the council’s deputy leader, yesterday warned that three-day weeks or split shift days could be introduced within two years without sufficient Government cash.

He said: ‘Logistically, there are impacts on working parents. But I have queues of people at my surgeries that can’t get a school place.’

Other councils are likely to monitor the council’s plans after Education Secretary Michael Gove gave head teachers more flexibility to alter the school day and set term dates.

LGA figures released yesterday forecast that Costessey in Norfolk, Purfleet in Essex and central Croydon, South London, will have at least 75 per cent more pupils by 2015 than the number of places currently available.

The Government this week said 93 free schools would open across the country, creating an extra 43,000 spaces for primary and secondary school children.

Mr Gove said yesterday: ‘We have more than doubled funding for new school places and we are setting up great new free schools, which are giving parents a choice of high quality school places.’

But Margaret Morrissey, founder of the pressure group Parents Outloud, said: ‘It’s not acceptable to have three-day weeks for children.’

Parents and pupils could be asked to rate their teachers to help set performance-related pay in all state schools.