51³Ô¹ÏÃâ·ÑApp and Bute Council has approved a response to a Scottish Government consultation in favour of setting a minimum number of learning hours in schools.
The main aim of the proposal to bring into force a minimum number of hours in primary and secondary schools is to ensure that similar provision is available to pupils, wherever they attend school in Scotland.
Scottish primary schools traditionally provide around 25 learning hours per week while secondary schools offer around 27.5 hours per week.
Local authorities are legally required to have their schools open for 190 days each year, however, the number of learning hours is not legally prescribed at present.
The Council’s Policy Lead for Education, Councillor Yvonne McNeilly, said: “We welcome the Scottish Government’s proposals to introduce a statutory minimum number of learning hours within our schools.
“The number of hours offered has generally been adhered to, in any case, for many years but we fully support the view that enshrining the minimum number in legislation will help secure equity of provision to all learners in our schools.â€
The Scottish Government consultation is designed to give local authorities, parents, children and young people and other stakeholders the opportunity to provide their views on the potential impact of the implementation of the policy on learning hours.
The consultation opened on 21 March and closes on 13 June 2023.