Pupils as old as 13 cannot tell the time and need to be taught at school how to read an analogue clock face, teachers reveal
- Students Kilgraston School in Scotland, being taught how to read read a clock
- Teachers saw some pupils struggle to read clock while sitting in an exam room
- Staff have also banned the use of electronic devices, such as mobile phones
A girls school is now teaching its teenage students how to tell the time after staff found its senior pupils were lacking in the basic skill.
Kilgraston School in Perthshire, Scotland, has taken the drastic step after discovering that pupils as old as 13 were unable to read the time from analogue clocks.
The problem, which teachers believe has been increased with the rise of digital devices, has even left some pupils struggling to read the clock while sitting in an exam room.
Teachers at Kilgraston School (pictured) in Perthshire, Scotland, will teach its students how to tell the time
Pupils at the Scottish school are now being taught how to tell the time after staff found some lacked in the basic skill
Head of Kilgraston School Dorothy MacGinty told The Sunday Telegraph: ‘Pupils sit in examination rooms with analogue clocks and we have found some who struggle to understand how much longer they have left for an exam because they cannot read the clock face.’
The independent boarding and day school for girls aged 5–18 has now launched lessons that will help pupils read the time the old-fashioned way.
Teachers have also banned the use of electronic devices, such as mobile phones, during the school hours in the hopes of encouraging more students to look at the clocks that are scattered around the school building.
Mrs MacGinty continued: ‘Our head of maths, Mrs Stephanie Speed, mentioned to me that she was also becoming increasingly concerned as more and more senior girls who were joining the school lacked this basic skill.’
Teachers at the independent boarding and day school for girls aged 5–18 have also banned electronic devices
Teachers at the school have also asked parents to assist in their child’s learning by buying a watch for their child.
Mrs MacGinty added: ‘We are encouraging patents and guardians to buy watches for girls from aged five.’
As we continue to live in an evolving digital era, staff hope the move at the school will allow students to learn the basic skills that are too important to forget.
Kilgraston School was purchased by the Society of the Sacred Heart in 1930 and now prides itself on offering world-class education and the opportunity to allow girls to flourish and feel empowered.