21st July 2023
The Government’s expectation, announced in the Schools White Paper of March 2022, for all mainstream schools to deliver a school week of at least 32.5 hours has been pushed back by a year, until September 2024.
On July 17th the government published the non-statutory guidance document Length of the school week. The guidance:
- Confirms all state-funded mainstream schools are expected to deliver a school week of at least 32.5 hours by September 2024 at the latest
- Sets out steps for increasing time beyond the minimum school week
- Highlights practical considerations for schools when increasing the school week including financial and staffing implications and the need for adequate consultation with all stakeholders
- Provides case studies where schools have found positive benefits from increasing the length of their school week or having a school week of 32.5 hours or more
- Confirms that Ofsted inspectors will assess whether a school is meeting the Government’s minimum expectation of a 32.5-hour week and will want to obtain information on any plans in place to lengthen the school week
