Dear Parents / Carers

Alternative to Form Periods from Session 2019-2020

You will be aware from recent media coverage that all secondary schools in Falkirk Council will have Form Period removed from the beginning of Session 2019-2020.  This has been agreed by the Council as part of the recent budget.  The reason given for this cut is that it does not, in itself, directly affect the courses that we can offer pupils, while allowing the Council to make some degree of savings.

As a consequence, the pupil day will be reduced by ten minutes each day and we have been engaging with the Parent Council and Pupils Council to plan for this.

Form Period has been an established part of school life for a number of years and has been the main vehicle, in the main, for holding assemblies, passing out important information and overseeing processes associated with absence.

Because these functions will continue to be important, please be assured that we will be considering alternative ways of carrying out these functions over the next few weeks.  We will then write to you to outline how these important aspects of school life can be alternatively undertaken.

In terms of keeping you aware of instances and patterns of absence, you may be aware that we already have in place a mechanism for recording and reporting absence throughout the school day.

Should you wish to discuss this, or any other, matter further, please contact me or a representative of the Parent Council.  We will be pleased to represent your ideas and concerns as we consider this important set of issues.

Yours sincerely

Iain Livingstone

Headteacher

Sent home w/beginning 29/4/19 – Letter to Parents/Guardians – FORM CLASSES