Timetable Review
St. Augustine’s College is currently engaging in a review of the school’s
Timetable for the new academic year 2015/2016.
Background to the Review:
At a staff meeting in March 2015 it was agreed that a committee be formed to
review our existing timetable and six staff members volunteered. Submissions
were asked for and some were received. All were given full consideration. The
committee met seven times in all and at the next staff meeting on April 23rd
2015 the review team gave a presentation on its proposal.
Considerations taken into account were the following:
i)
Issues of health and safety which included supervision at lunch time
and break time. These included discouraging unnecessary driving into
town by students, cutting back the risk of accidents and damage to
school property.
ii)
Attendance issues, where some senior students tend to leave school
early on Fridays. It set out to try and curb this. The committee also
noted that students’ energy level and their level of attention are greatly
reduced towards the end of the school week.
iii)
Committee consulted Canteen staff and their response was very
positive, their observations were that for the last 15 minutes of lunch
break most students are just waiting around, having finished their
lunch.
iv)
Buses were consulted; they would consider our new proposal when
planning their bus schedule for the new school year.
v)
Other School Principals were consulted in the interests of coordinating
the general school-going population in the area.
vi)
Committee looked at timetables of other schools which are more
standardised than ours (for example Cork City schools who finish
half-day on Wednesdays, other schools which finish at 3.30 every day,
etc.) to see if we could take anything from them which would suit our
school.
While it would be difficult to please everyone, but given that priority was to
the overall good of the school going forward, the timetable below was
proposed:
Committee’s Proposal:
Periods
1: 2: 3
Break
4: 5: 6
Lunch
7:
8: 9
Finish: 3:35pm
Periods
1:2:3 periods
Break
4:5:6
Lunch
7:8:9
Finish: 2:30pm
Monday to Thursday
Starting 9am
3 x 40 mins
11:00 – 11:15
3x40 mins
1:15 - 1:45
1x40 mins
2x35mins
Friday
Starting 9am
35 mins each
10:45 – 11:00
3x30mins
12:30 – 1:00
3x30mins
Main points of proposal:
School Starting Time: School start every morning at 9.00 am
Class Duration: To have 28 classes of 40 minutes’ duration; 11 classes of 35
minutes’ duration and 6 classes of 30 minutes’ duration
Morning break: remains at 15 minutes’ duration, 11.00 -11.15 Monday
through Thursday and 10.45 – 11.00 am on Friday.
Lunch Break: 30 minutes (schools in town take 40 minutes, Meánscoil San
Nioclás takes 30 minutes, all Primary schools take 30 minutes)
School finishing time: 3.35 pm Monday through Thursday; 2.30 pm Friday.
Study will start 15 minutes after the final class of the day.
This is a proposal that the teaching staff in the college feel would be very
beneficial for the school.
The proposal will be brought to the Board of Management at their meeting
June 9th 2015.
Please feel free to make a submission in relation to this proposal by emailing
the school principal at [email protected] before the Board of
Management meeting on June 9th 2015.
Is mise le meas,
Ailbhe Ní Neachtain.
Príomhoide.