Plans have been proposed to alter the start and end times of high schools in West Dunbartonshire.
The council's Education Services Committee are due to discuss proposals that will make changes the school day after it was found the current timetable does not provide teaching time in the "most efficient way."
Pupils at Clydebank High School, Dumbarton Academy, Our Lady & St. Patrick’s High School, St. Peter the Apostle High School and the Vale of Leven Academy would see their start time moved by 10 minutes to 9am as part of the proposals.
The altered start time would free up 50 minutes a week, which would be added to the end of the Wednesday timetable.
This means classes would end at 3.50pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays.
Meanwhile, Thursdays and Fridays would finish at 3pm.
This means pupils will no longer go to registration classes and instead move from a 32-period week to a 33-period week.
The report seeks to supports equity and attainment, increases curricular flexibility, and enable better alignment with national educational priorities such as reducing teacher contact time and promoting interdisciplinary learning.
Consultations are to be sent out to the parent councils of the high schools, parents of pupils, parents of pupils expected to start high school in the next two years, pupils, staff, trade unions and any other education authority.
In addition, the Archdiocese of Glasgow of the Catholic Church will also be invited to respond to the proposals.
An online Google form has been created as part of the consultation, which will run from Thursday, September 18, to October 31.
Public meetings are scheduled to discuss it in each of the secondary schools, which will be publicised through the schools, if the report is agreed to at the next Education Services Committee.
As part of this consultation, public meetings are expected to be held to discuss the proposal. The public meetings for this proposal will be:
- October 21, 2025 – in person and online at 6pm in Vale of Leven Academy;
- October 22, 2025 – in person and online at 6pm in Our Lady & St. Patrick’s High School
- October 23, 2025 – in person and online at 6pm in Dumbarton Academy
- October 28, 2025 – in person and online at 6pm in Clydebank High School;
- October 29, 2025 – in person and online at 6pm in St. Peter the Apostle High School.
An online link will be available for remote viewing.
Once the consultation period is complete, a report on the findings will be produced and brought to the meeting of the Educational Services Committee scheduled to be held on November 26, 2025.
Should the outcome be favourable, this will provide time for the new timetable structure to be implemented for the start of the 2026/27 school year.
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