School start times could be staggered
A new plan proposes children attend school in shifts
By Livia Gamble
January 31 2017
School hours could be staggered in Perth, as a way to reduce congestion on the road.
The idea to have children educated in shifts was included in the government’s transport plan for Perth.
The shifts proposed would be 7am to 1pm, 9am to 3pm & 1pm to 6pm.
Speaking to 9 Live Perth, parenting expert, Di Wilcox said the idea has been thrown around before and the reason why it hasn’t come about is because there are so many groups to consider: parents, teachers and students.
That said, she thinks the move would be beneficial to some age groups.
"Particularly teenagers, if they get a decent sleep in in the morning they function better," Wilcox said.
"For primary school age children, they actually work a lot better in the morning, so having the afternoon off to play and connect with nature would be better for that age group."
However, the staggered hours could pose problems for parents.
“The concern we’ve got is parents ultimately requiring more and more supervision for their children. Parents are crying out for the after school supervision. However, teachers don’t want to be used as babysitters.”
The Sate School Teachers Union told the program that staggered start times should only be for education reasons, not traffic congestion.
What do you think? Are staggered school start times a good idea?
This article was originally published on New Idea.
