Reminder: School Day Changes from September 2023

Dear Parents/Carers,

In November 2021, the Department for Education published a review of time in schools and post 16 settings.  That report showed that extending time in schools can benefit students’ outcomes if used well.

This report was followed up with the education white paper in March 2022, with a requirement that all state-funded mainstream schools, including academies, should aim towards providing a 32.5 hour week.  The Priory Learning Trust agrees with the view that this extended time will benefit outcomes for the children in our schools.

With this in mind, we are writing to confirm that from 1st September 2023, the timings of the school day at Priory Community School – an Academy will be:

 As you can see, the start time will remain the same as it previously has been.  Each lesson will now be 1 hour long, rather than the current 55 minutes, enabling more effective teaching in every lesson.  We will also be moving to a two sitting lunch arrangement, which will mean that lunch will be for 30 minutes, either 12.20 to 12.50, or 13.20 to 13.50.  There will be no “middle” lunch, avoiding the split lessons that can be disruptive to learning.

We do appreciate that this may cause some initial disruption to some families, with a later finish potentially causing difficulties, but we want to ensure the best possible outcomes for our young people.

Yours sincerely,

Mr Markoutsas

Principal