Controversial cuts to Falkirk school hours have no support ahead of crunch meeting

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Controversial plans to cut school hours for Falkirk pupils will almost certainly not go ahead now when Falkirk Council meets tomorrow (Thursday).

Three amendments have been submitted that make clear there is no political support for the plan - including from the SNP administration.The decision should have been taken in October, but councillors voted to delay until the UK and Scottish budgets had been announced, to make the financial position clearer. Read more: Falkirk MP backs new campaign to bring railway station back to Bonnybridge The proposal would have meant no classes on Friday afternoons, reducing primary pupils' learning time from 25 hours to 22.5 hours; and secondary pupils from 26 hours 40 minutes to 24 hours 45 minutes.Falkirk Council education chiefs say the changes would save Falkirk Council £6 million at a time when the authority is facing a shortfall in income of £56 million over the next five years.In the latest report, which will be considered by members tomorrow, the director of education, Jon Reid, says the reduction to school hours is vital to protect services for pupils with additional support needs.But the proposal sparked anger from parents, who say the cut in hours will put Falkirk pupils at a disadvantage and affect attainment.Crucially, the Scottish Government is also opposed to any reduction in either teacher numbers or learning hours.While the details are not yet clear, it is likely that at least some Scottish Government funding will continue to be dependent on councils' maintaining teacher numbers.Tomorrow (Thursday), the matter returns to Falkirk Council for a decision and the Labour group and Independent councillor Laura Murtagh have submitted separate motions, each rejecting the