Schools could teach from home one day a week due to energy costs

The possibility of more lessons from home has emerged following questions by Councillor Beverley Baynham posed to the cabinet member responsible for education.

It comes with schools also facing a significant increase in the cost of heating classrooms due to rising energy bills.

Ms Baynham said: “In the current economic crisis school budgets are being put under increasing pressure.

“At a recent briefing for headteachers and chairs of governors, suggestions were put forward from officers of how to achieve financial savings.

“These suggestions included: children wearing coats, not filling vacant positions, finding volunteers to work in schools, consider a four-day week with the fifth day being taught virtually at home.”

She asked Councillor Pete Roberts, Powys County Council's cabinet member for education, to confirm if children being taught online one day a week is a serious suggestion.

Mr Roberts responded that it was one of the options put forward.

He said: “As you will be aware there are significant budget pressures on all of us and we are needing to be considering every option regarding potential savings.

“We did suggest the possibility of a four-day week; with a fifth day being taught virtually as well as blended weeks of learning as extreme cases for consideration.”

But Mr Roberts stressed that there was no “clear directive” given to schools to do this.

He added that a “financial toolkit” is being prepared and shared with schools to help headteachers and school governors discuss how to tackle the financial crisis.

Mr Roberts said that the council is helping schools by holding finance surgeries and going through budgets “in detail” looking at spending patterns and “suggesting potential solutions.”

He said: “Ultimately it is the decision and responsibility of the headteacher and their chair of governors regarding the school budget and one size does not fit all.”

Mr Roberts added that schools would need to produce plans explaining how they will continue with children’s education and that they will need to think about “any and every eventuality.”

He said that online learning options could “reduce the utilities cost for the schools and lead to a considerable saving.”

Just like in Covid-19 lockdowns hubs would need to be open to look after some pupils.

Mr Roberts added: “For the past two winters in some instances, a few children have had to wear their coats in their classrooms due to windows being open as part of the Covid guidance and not because the school could not afford to pay the heating bill.

“With Covid increasing, this situation is likely to happen again this winter.”

Mr Roberts stressed that volunteers would not be teaching children.

He said: “Not at any point would we advocate volunteers replacing teachers to teach our children.

“The proposal not to fill vacant posts is only for consideration if the work connected to that post can be covered by other staff in the short term.”