Government Response

The Government responded to this petition on Thursday 22nd September 2022

All schools currently have the autonomy and the flexibility to decide when their school day should start and finish and the Government has no plans to change this.

The decision on when to start the school day lies with individual schools. All schools have the autonomy to make decisions about the duration and structure of their school day. They have the flexibility to decide when their school day should start and finish and take into account the views of stakeholders. The Government has no plans to remove this flexibility. Schools should organise the school day and school week in the best interests of their pupil cohort, to provide them with a full-time education suitable for their age, aptitude and ability.

Governing bodies of all maintained schools in England are responsible for deciding when sessions should begin and end on each school day. Governing bodies are also responsible for deciding the length of each lesson and the timings for the morning session, the midday break, and the afternoon session. For academies and free schools, the duration of the school day is the responsibility of the academy trust.

On 28 March 2022, the government set out in the White Paper Opportunity for all: strong schools with great teachers for your child - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk),the introduction of a non-legislative new minimum expectation on the length of school week of 32.5 hours for all mainstream, state-funded schools for all pupils aged between 5 to 16 by September 2023 at the latest. The 32.5 hour minimum expectation includes the time in each day from the official start of the school day (i.e. morning registration) to the end of the compulsory school day (i.e. official home time). The 32.5 hour minimum includes breaks and lunch times as well as teaching time, and any enrichment activities that all pupils are expected to attend. This does not include optional before or after school provision. Having a minimum length of school week will ensure that all pupils have fair access to broad and balanced curriculum, which will support their academic achievement as well as their well-being.

Any school that wished to start at 10:00am would therefore be expected to remain open until at least 4:30pm every day to meet the 32.5 hour minimum weekly expectation.

Department for Education