Finish lessons at lunchtime from September

Plans for primary schools to finish lessons at lunchtime from September, attributed to the London borough of Newham in news reports last week, have been denied by the local education authority. A spokesman for the education authority said, 'At this point, the interested schools are researching the implications of this change and no schools have made definite proposals.' He added that timescales for possible implementation of the proposals had not been clarified, while practical aspects such as the cost and provision of school meals had yet to be considered, and parents and staff would have to be consulted. Carlene Hutchinson-Norris, assistant headteacher at Colegrave Primary School in Newham, confirmed that her school was looking into the possibility of a change to the school day with other schools in the borough. But she said no decisions had been made. 'It's a small part of a much bigger piece of research we're doing into children's learning environment,' she added. The idea was suggested after a strike by support staff last year meant schools could only open in the morning. Children's attention and behaviour improved and children were found to work best when they were well fed. Any change to the timetable could include abandoning lunch, in favour of breakfast and a mid-morning snack. The Education Act 2002 frees up schools from certain regulations to explore ways that they could raise standards. However, a spokeswoman for the Department for Education and Skills said there were no plans to try out lunchtime school closing nationally.