Some schools in the UK are said to be considering moving to three-day weeks this autumn amid fears over energy bill costs and teacher pay.
As the rising cost of living crisis continues to be making its impact felt across the country, it’s now being reported that headteachers, trustees, and governors are holding talks and discussions during the summer holidays in an attempt to work out how to keep schools afloat in the autumn term, according to The Telegraph.
It comes after schools have been facing considerable financial pressure as of late, despite the Government promising to boost budgets by an extra £7 billion in England by 2023.
Funding per pupil in England dropped by 9% between 2010 and 2020.
Now, with some schools’ energy prices expected to increase by 300% in the coming months, according to reports, costs are rising faster than budgets will allow, and then, with teacher pay rises also set to be awarded in September, it’s believed this will add another layer of pressure.
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Mark Jordan, the chief executive of Creative Education Trust – a multi-academy trust – said he had heard discussions of a ‘three-day week’ as a way to save money, while Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said schools were now holding “crisis meetings” to work out how to fund the increased costs.
🔴 School leaders are considering three or four-day weeks to pay for teacher salary rises and crippling energy costs, The Telegraph has learnt https://t.co/2IXARqO2FM
Mr Jordan said that his trust is considering a recruitment freeze and redundancies, and may have to scrap the planned COVID catch-up programmes for children, as well as planned investments and improvements in school buildings.
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“Others less fortunate are facing significant deficits and are already planning for teacher redundancies,” he added.
Mr Barton addd that some schools are even having to forego resources like textbooks.
The chief executive of one of the largest academy trusts in the country also anonymously told The Telegraph: “Shorter school days, fewer after school clubs and enrichment opportunities and draconian restrictions on energy usage will become a reality for all trusts and the situation is particularly challenging for smaller trusts and standalone schools.
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Headteachers, trustees, and governors are holding “crisis meetings” in an attempt to work out how to keep schools afloat / Credit: Flickr
“This is not a plaintive plea of poverty, nor is it the usual begging bowl moment ahead of a spending review.
A spokesperson for the Department for Education said in response to the report: “We recognise that schools, much like the wider economy, are facing increased costs, including on energy and staff pay [and] our schools white paper set out our expectation that the school week should last a minimum of 32.5 hours – the current average – for all mainstream state-funded schools.
“Thousands of schools already deliver this length of week within existing budgets and we expect current funding plans to account for this.”
One in 10 Brits are fired or disciplined after their work’s Christmas party, new survey finds
Emily Sergeant
We’re in peak office Christmas party season right about now.
With just under two weeks to go until the big day itself is here, many businesses across the UK are treating their staff to night out to celebrate both the festive season and all of the hard work they have been putting in throughout the year… and as you can expect, these are usually quite eventful gatherings, shall we say.
But now, a survey by has shed light on just how ‘eventful’ they actually are, as a new survey has revealed that, apparently, one in ten Brits face some sort of disciplinary action or dismissal due to their behaviour at Christmas parties.
The study was conducted by After Drink, and included more than 2,000 participants.
During the research, it was highlighted that 89% of employees admitted to drinking alcohol at these events, Lad Bible reports – with 65% of these confessing that they drank “excessively”.
One in 10 Brits get fired or disciplined after their work’s Christmas party / Credit: Kraken Images | Mimi Thian (via Unsplash)
There are a multitude of incidents which could lead to disciplinary action in the workplace nowadays, but according to the survey, some of the common reasons following festive celebrations with colleagues included inappropriate comments (23%) and even getting into fights (21%).
16% of these incidents were because of drug use during the event, while inappropriate interactions with colleagues accounted for 14%.
Some of the legal reasons you can be fired from your place of work after a Christmas party include gross misconduct, drunken behaviour, and fighting of any kind.
Despite all these risks, however, Christmas parties still remain as popular as always, and a whopping 79% of respondents said they are planning to attend theirs this year.
Clearly, the moral of the story here is , enjoy yourself… but just not too much.
Featured Image – The OurWhiskey Company (via Pexels)
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Half of Mancs don’t know how to cook Christmas dinner, new survey reveals
Emily Sergeant
Christmas dinner is one of the key parts of any festive celebration.
No matter whether you choose to tuck into a traditional roast with all the trimmings and lashings of gravy, or you prefer to go for something a little different like a curry or a Chinese instead, your Christmas dinner is a chance to gather round with your loved ones and enjoy one of the heartiest meals you’ll likely have all year.
However, some shocking new figures have revealed that half of Manchester residents have no clue how to even cook a Christmas dinner.
Through a major study by the UK’s leading electrical retailer, AO.com, it was revealed that the majority of our city’s residents are “losing confidence” in preparing even the simplest of British dishes – with a traditional roast or Christmas dinner being one of them.
A new survey has revealed that half of Mancs don’t know how to cook Christmas dinner / Credit: Freepik | GoodFon
As part of its new campaign to get Brits back into the kitchen, AO found that just 57% of respondents reckon they would be able to make a roast dinner, 52% could whip up a classic shepherd’s pie, 58% could cook bangers and mash, merely 61% could prepare a full English breakfast, and again, only 57% could tackle fish and chips.
Classic desserts are clearly a struggle for us Mancs too, according to the survey, as only 19% of respondents said they’d feel confident cooking a Christmas pudding.
The survey also found that nationwide, it was Gen Z – those between the age of 16 and 27 – that are the least confident in their ability to cook great British classics, while on the other end of the spectrum, Baby Boomers are the most capable, proving that culinary confidence increases with age.
Our region’s residents are apparently ‘losing confidence’ at cooking simple British classics / Credit: Freepik
Commenting on the results, Jay Lockton, oven expert at AO.com, said: “Kitchens should be a place of creativity and joy, but our data shows that a lot of people in Manchester are losing confidence in preparing even the simplest of British dishes.
“Based on our findings, many younger people may be opting for convenience foods or takeaways due to their busy schedules and the perception that cooking from scratch is time-consuming or difficult.
Emily Sergeant -
15th August 2022 
