Academy head who 'added a year' to pupil learning time gives evidence in parliament

From They Work For You: heads give evidence re Deregulation Bill:

Andy Grace (head of Boulevard Academy in Hull - a free school): The total amount of time that we have is more than 300 hours in an academic year, in addition to what we would normally expect. That is the equivalent of six additional teaching weeks. Over the five years that a youngster is at the academy, that is almost an extra school year of teaching and learning time.



Ian Bauckham (president of the Association of School and College Leaders - head of Bennett Memorial Diocesan School in Kent): The point of view of our association is that we are in favour of all secondary schools having the same freedom to set term dates within the 195 contracted days as academies and some other schools have already. We are in favour of the regulation being removed. We think it would be helpful for local authorities to continue to provide benchmark term dates so that the schools in a given area that want to align their term dates have a reference point. However, in principle we are in favour of schools having the same freedoms as academies.