England schools set for minimum week length in new rules

All schools in England must be open at least 32.5 hours a week, according to government plans due to be published this week.

The length of the school day is currently decided by the school head with the governing body in England.

Around 70% of schools are already open between 32 and 35 hours a week, and another 9% longer.

The rule, which begins next September, will hit the 14% of schools thought to be open less than 32 hours a week.

The data comes from a July 2021 government survey that asked schools how many hours per week 3rd or 9th graders were required to be in school. About 6% of schools do not teach students in this age group.

The government said the change would ensure children have a fair chance to engage in a range of issues – as well as catch-up support – wherever they live.

The 32.5-hour school week is equivalent to 8:45am to 3:15pm, with the government arguing that a child with a school day 20 minutes less each day would lose two weeks of schooling over the course of a year.

But education unions said the new requirement would make little difference as most schools had already reached the threshold.

They suggested schools that didn’t might be in rural areas that face greater transportation challenges.

Education Minister Nadhim Zahawi said the change is part of a broader effort to “create opportunity for all, with strong schools and great teachers for every child”.

He will set out the government’s broader plans for schools in England in a White Paper this week, together with a review of the support available for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The plans include a target that by 2030, 90% of students graduating from primary school will have attained the expected level in math and English.

In the last available numbers just before the pandemic, 65% of 6th grade students reached this level.

Bridget Philipson, education secretary for working shadows, said after two years of “pandemic chaos” and six years since the government’s last schools strategy, the plans would leave parents, teachers and students wondering “where the ambitions for children’s future lie”.

Kevin Courtney of the National Education Union said schools and students have been “battered and hurt” by the pandemic and a more polished approach is needed.

Paul Whiteman of school leaders’ union NAHT said: “There’s unlikely to be much, if any, benefit from simply adding five or 10 minutes to a day.”