The DfE is proposing that all English schools will have to open for at least 32.5 hours a week. The length of the school day is currently decided by the headteacher with the governing body in England and currently approximately 14% of schools have a shorter day. A 32.5 hour school week is equivalent to 8:30pm to 15.30pm. The DfE says that a child with a 20-minute shorter school day would lose two weeks of schooling over the academic year so the changes would ensure children had a fair chance to engage with a range of subjects – as well as any catch-up support – wherever they lived.
