School Hours 'Vary By Two Years'

Pupils in some parts of Scotland are being taught in school for two years less than their counterparts in other regions.

The figures, released by think tank Reform Scotland, show children in Moray are at school for the least amount of time, while those in Aberdeenshire and West Dunbartonshire spend the most time with their teacher. It is because the length of the school day differs between local authorities.

Primary pupils in Fife spend 945 hours being taught, with high school pupils in class for 1,035.9 hours. Both figures are average for the whole of Scotland. Pupils in Moray are at school for the least amount of time, while those in Aberdeenshire and West Dunbartonshire spend the most time with their teacher.

Reform Scotland’s Research Director Alison Payne said:

"We were surprised by the huge variation in hours exposed by our findings. We do not object to the variation in hours per se, because we believe that local authorities, and indeed individual schools, should have more control over their operation.

"However, we strongly object to the lack of transparency which appears to prevent parents from gaining full knowledge of this situation. We seriously doubt, for example, that many parents in Dundee will realise that their children will receive the equivalent of two years less teaching time than their peers just up the road in Aberdeenshire.

"This is unfair, unequal and wrong, because it prevents parents from making choices with the full information in mind."