An academy chain established by the schools minister has been forced to drop controversial plans to extend the day for children as young as five after protests from parents and teachers.
Future Academies in Pimlico, central London, which was set up by the academies minister Lord Nash and his wife Caroline, told parents in March that it expected to increase daily school hours by 45 minutes. It followed central government plans to do so, which were outlined in George Osborne’s budget.
But Future’s proposals were dropped on Monday night after parents accused Lord and Lady Nash of using their children as guinea pigs and organised an opposing petition.
More than 20 teachers at two of Future’s schools, Churchill Gardens primary academy and Millbank academy, threatened to resign following the proposals, according to the National Union of Teachers (NUT).
Future Academies, which has four schools in its group, is seen as a blueprint for other institutions to be rolled out by the government. It is sponsored by the social enterprise Future, which was founded by the Nashes in 2006.
Future’s work is influenced by ED Hirsch, the American academic whose ideas have influenced the national curriculum review.
Academy officials wrote to parents last month with proposals for the school day to begin at 8.45am instead of 9am, and close at 3.45pm instead of 3.15pm.
Twelve teachers were set to leave Churchill Gardens, and another 12 were preparing to leaving Millbank, union officials claimed.
The NUT union lodged its opposition to Future’s plans, saying a longer day would force parents and teachers to travel at busier times and exhaust younger pupils, many of whom already fall asleep during assembly.
Some parents at Millbank school have said it is becoming less of a community and more of a “results factory” to satisfy the Nashes.
One mother who has two children in the school, speaking before the plans were dropped, said: “Our children do not need an extended day. We feel as if we are being treated like guinea pigs by Lord Nash and his wife so they can test out their ideas on our children.
A protest letter was sent last week to Future’s chief executive, Paul Smith, signed by more than 100 Millbank parents. It said the proposals would result in tired children who would struggle to learn; cut the amount of time spent in assembly; and require children to eat their lunch in 15 minutes.
Nash, a venture capitalist, and his wife became Tory donors in 2006 and helped to finance David Davis’s 2005 Conservative leadership bid. One of his previous investment vehicles, Sovereign Capital, owned companies with more than £70m-worth of government contracts. In January 2013, he became a life peer and schools minister.
A spokeswoman for Future said on Friday that the academy chain refuted the allegations made by teachers and parents, and that no final decision had been taken about the length of the school day or when it would be implemented.
However, on Monday night, the spokeswoman said the plans had been dropped. “Following consultation with staff and parents the proposal to changing the school day is no longer going ahead,” she said.
Michael Parker, the division NUT secretary, welcomed the chain’s about-turn. “Westminster NUT is relieved to hear that the proposals have been suspended, and we trust that there will be a genuine consultation with the staff about the curriculum and the school day,” he said.
“Stabilising the staffing at the school will be an important part of ensuring continuity in the children’s pastoral care over the next few months.”
