Since September 2022, Tavernspite and Templeton school have operated an asymmetric week

This means that the school day has been lengthened on Mondays to Thursdays, so that on a Friday, the children have competed all of their lesson time and have the option to go home at lunchtime.

Please don’t worry if you are unable to collect your child then, as they can attend our ‘Friday Afternoon Enrichment Club’ which runs until 3pm. We have also made arrangements with a number of local child care providers who will look after your child beyond 3pm if needed.

The asymmetric week has been a really positive development at our school for a number of reasons:

• When we added up all the teaching time throughout the week, the asymmetric week model means that the children get more learning and teaching time than the previous model, usually around half an hour more each week.

• It has been really good for children’s well-being, providing an extra-long weekend, and more family time for many. Parents often tell us that their children find the full school week very tiring, impacting directly on their wellbeing. So, this has helped in many cases.

• Staff working hours changed to fit the asymmetric week model too. As a result, on half of the Friday afternoons, staff have the whole afternoon for continuing professional development training, creating an excellent opportunity for staff to work together regularly, including working with staff from other schools to collaborate and share best practice. There are numerous examples of how this has had a very positive impact on the pupils’ education.

• The demands of staff training are ever increasing and it was becoming more and more difficult to complete all training requirements during the INSET days. The asymmetric week provides around forty additional hours of staff training each year.

• On the remainder of the Friday afternoons, most staff would be able to leave school at lunchtime too, and benefit from time with their families, helping to support their work life balance and well-being.

• Whilst, being incredibly rewarding, teaching is a very demanding and challenging profession. Our staff feel that this time has been really beneficial to their health and well-being. A well-motivated and supported staff has reduced any issues we may have around recruitment or retention. We aim to avoid these challenges by fully supporting the wellbeing of our staff.