Responding to a new report from the Education Policy Insitute
(EPI) looking at links between the length of the school day and
educational outcomes, Ian Hartwright, head of policy at school
leaders' union NAHT, said:
“This report confirms that as we have long argued, most schools
already open for at least 32.5 hours - and they did so before
this guidance was first mooted.
“The small number of schools which do not already open for 32.5
hours are usually minutes rather than hours from reaching this
threshold. There's little evidence to suggest that adding 5 to 10
minutes to the school day is likely to bring much, if any benefit
and this report does not consider the logistical challenges
involved, such as increasing the hours of lunchtime supervisors
and other support staff, and taking into account school bus
times, especially in rural areas.
"We should be mindful that the gains identified in this
particular piece of research are minimal, confirming that an
extension of school hours is unlikely to be the ‘game-changer'
the previous government implied it could be. There are a whole
range of alternative policy options that policy-makers should
look at instead.
“The last government's focus on this policy seemed odd and a
distraction from tackling the real issues facing schools
including the recruitment and retention crisis, support for
pupils with special educational needs, and the state of school
buildings. We welcome the new administration's recognition of the
need to address these issues and stand ready to work with
ministers to do just that.”
