Every Monday, Brantford students are dismissed at 1:55pm, one hour earlier than usual. While not unique (nearby Morley has a weekly shortened day every Wednesday), this type of schedule is not common, so it is fair to ask whether it means less learning time. In reality, it is an investment in better learning, and here’s why:

Teachers do not leave early. That hour is dedicated to collaboration, training, and planning, all of which directly improve what happens in the classroom.

During this time, teachers learn from district specialists, strengthen literacy practices such as UFLI*, plan school-wide initiatives, and collaborate on meaningful projects like the salmon study, Battle of the Books, and ELL (English Language Learner) buddy programs. They also align on school goals and deepen their approach to Indigenous education.

This structured collaboration leads to more consistent instruction, earlier support for students who need it, and richer learning experiences across the school.

In short, students are not losing an hour. They are gaining better-prepared teachers, stronger programs, and a more connected school community.

* UFLI (University of Florida Literacy Institute) is a structured literacy program grounded in the science of reading. It teaches reading through explicit, systematic instruction rather than expecting students to pick up skills indirectly.

Key features:

• Explicit teaching of sound-spelling relationships (phonics taught directly and clearly)
• Carefully sequenced lessons that move from simple to more complex skills
• Decoding and encoding taught together (reading and spelling reinforce each other)
• Consistent lesson structure to build routine and reduce confusion
• Cumulative review so skills are repeatedly reinforced over time
• Targeted support to identify and address learning gaps early

This approach often feels intuitive to parents, but it is important context that reading has not always been taught this way in practice. In some older approaches, students were more often expected to learn words and patterns through exposure to texts and context, with less explicit instruction in phonics.

Research in reading development now strongly supports explicit, systematic instruction as more reliable for building foundational reading skills. UFLI is built directly from that evidence base.