Schools will be asked to ensure their week is at least 32.5 hours long by September 2023. The Schools White Paper, published in full on Monday (March 28), details how school weeks should run for at least 32-and-a-half hours, from for example 8.45am to 3.15pm Monday to Friday.
While most school weeks across primary and secondary schools in England cover this length of time, the Department for Education said there are some “discrepancies” which could see a pupil who receives 20 minutes’ less teaching time per day lose out on around two weeks of schooling per year. As one of several measures set out in the White Paper, the DfE said the change aimed to build upon the Government’s Levelling Up mission for schools, which aims for 90 per cent of pupils leaving primary school to have reached expected standards in numeracy and literacy.
On Tuesday, the long-awaited Special Educational Needs and Disability (Send) Review will also be published. “The Send and alternative provision green paper will build on education support and change the culture and practice in mainstream schools to be more inclusive, helping the workforce to adapt to every pupil’s needs,” the DfE said.
