Talking about part-time timetables
Part-time timetables can be a helpful short-term support for children finding it hard to attend school, but they require careful, ongoing discussion – especially for care experienced children.
Part-time timetables can support children and young people who are finding it hard to attend school, but they should only ever be used in the short term.
It’s important to consider the impact on care experienced children, as a part-time timetable means more time at home, and less time building relationships at school.
Conversations around part-time timetables should be ongoing, to make sure it continues to be in the best interests of the child.
Below are some conversation starters to help families and professionals talk about them together:
Listen to the child
💬 “It seems like Mondays are quite tricky for you – do you have any ideas why that might be?”
💬 “I know you get on well with Mrs Neillie. What is it that you like about her? Is she different to other teachers?”
Children and young people have the right to be involved in decisions about their learning and support. Listening to their views can help understand whether a part-time timetable will or won’t be an effective way to support their learning.
We must also think about who should have these conversations. Who would they feel most comfortable to talk about this with? How will we explain what we’ll do with what they share?
You could think about asking:
💬 “When you think about school, how do you feel?”
💬 “I’ve noticed that you seem to find it difficult when…”
💬 “Do you think it would help if…”
💬 “What would make you feel happier at school?”
What’s making school difficult?
💬 “I spoke with Jack, and he says he hates getting the taxi to school in the morning. It takes too long and he doesn’t like that his pals can see him arriving in it.”
💬 “I know there’s been some issues in English classes lately. The move up to National 5 can be a bit of a jump so it’s understandable they feel frustrated.”
We must think about why a child wants or needs to spend less time at school. There are lots of reasons why a part-time timetable might (or might not) be helpful. Every child’s individual needs and circumstances must be considered.
You could think about saying:
💬 “She’s finding it difficult to get into school in the mornings because…”
💬 “They really enjoy… but they don’t enjoy…”
💬 “It seems that the more difficult days of the week are…”
Remember, the best way to find out what’s happening is to talk to children themselves.
What else might help?
💬 “Have they been using the time-out card?”
💬 “Her brother was recently diagnosed with ADHD. I’ve been wondering if she might also be neurodivergent – what steps do we need to take to explore that?”
To remove a child from school, even temporarily or for only parts of the day, is a big choice. For care experienced children, being removed from the classroom could impact on their relationships and sense of belonging at school.
Before a part-time timetable is agreed, it is worth considering what other support strategies might help. This might include reassessing what their needs are, thinking about subjects or relationships that are going well, or considering other resources that could be made available.
Some ideas for how to say this might be:
💬 “His favourite subject is… because…”
💬 “She told me she likes working with… because…”
💬 “What other supports would the class teacher be able to try?”
💬 “Things seem to be going well with… what are they doing that we could replicate in other lessons?”
What does home look like?
💬 “Would school be able to provide a laptop for Sara to work from? We have good internet but I’d be working from home so she couldn’t use my computer.”
💬 “We’ve only recently moved house, so it’s quite chaotic at home at the moment.”
Part-time timetables mean more time at home, and especially for care experienced children, we must think about what the impact of this will be. Children need to feel safe and have the tools and space they need to learn. So we must consider every child’s individual needs and circumstances.
You could talk about this by saying:
💬 “During the day, is there a quiet space he could work in?”
💬 “The shifts for my job mean that…”
💬 “Would the work you send home be posted, or accessed online?”
💬 “She has a younger sister at home, which means…”
How will this support their learning?
💬 “I’d be worried about how to support her with Maths. Would someone be available to work with her on that while she’s at home?”
💬 “Amir’s favourite subject is Science. Is there a way to make sure he’s not missing any of the practical lessons?”
Children have the right to an education, and a part-time timetable should only be put in place if it is in the best interests of the child. Understanding how a part-time timetable would support a child’s education is crucial.
You could consider saying:
💬 “Spending more time at home would be…”
💬 “I talked about it with them, and they feel…”
💬 “The schedule you’ve suggested would mean…”
💬 “If they are missing those lessons, then…”
Making plans to return
💬 “Shall we meet again in two weeks to see how things are going?”
💬 “What’s the timeline for when we’re hoping he’ll be back at school full-time?”
Part-time timetables should only be used in the short term. Setting clear timescales, even if these have to be reviewed, can help everyone understand how and when the child will be back at school full-time.
You could think about saying:
💬 “How long will their timetable be reduced?”
💬 “I’d hope that by the end of this term…”
💬 “When will we meet again to review how things are going?”
💬 “Could we talk about this again on…?”
More about part-time timetables
▶️ Watch our short Navigate video about The difficulty with part-time timetables
🔗 Visit our Understanding part-time timetables Navigate page
🔗 Check out our Is it an exclusion? myth busters
