Problems raised over Borders 'asymmetric' school week

A move to four-and-a-half day weeks at schools in the Scottish Borders has left some rural children disadvantaged, it has been claimed.

Primary and secondary schools in the region have closed at lunch time on Fridays since August.

The move has allowed many children to take part in extra-curricular sporting activities on Friday afternoons.

However one councillor has claimed pupils dependent on school transport are missing out.

She also claimed there was less sport on offer to children than there was before the move to "asymmetric" weeks.

Vicky Davidson, who represents Selkirkshire, said: "All of the activities that took place at lunchtimes are now being condensed on a Friday afternoon.

"Now pupils are often having to choose between three different activities where before they may have done them on a lunch time, and they may have done their sports competitions on a Saturday morning.

"Because it's all happening then, in some ways there's less sporting activity taking place than previously."

Ms Davidson added: "But more importantly some of our young people are not able to access it at all because they have to go home on the school bus at the earlier time and can't stay for these activities.

"Which means some of the pupils who live in the most rural areas who are more in need of these kind of things are not able to access them and I think they are being disadvantaged."

All 63 primary schools and nine secondary schools in the region now start earlier and finish later during the first four days of the week.

The high schools are open between 08:50 and 15:45, Monday to Thursday, and they close at 13:20 on Fridays.

Scottish Borders Council has said that move is beneficial in both "educational and financial terms".

It was expected to reduce staff costs as well as increase opportunities for e-learning and shared teaching.

Councillor Sandy Aitchison said any problems with the new system were "nothing we can't fix".

He added: "It has been a success in the way that it has been dealt with and that's a huge compliment to the head teachers in particular but teachers generally who have embraced it and indeed are trying to make things better for the children in school.

"The other thing to recognise also is the Friday afternoon has brought out some very useful after school activities and we need to look at best practice there and see if we can tap into that best practice and extend it elsewhere."