Schools will be told the minimum the number of hours they need to open for under government plans.
A new White Paper has been published by the government today, Monday, detailing how it intends to support its 'Levelling Up mission for education'.
Among the measures it plans to introduce is for schools to offer a minimum 32.5 hour week by September 2023.
Discussing the proposals with the Mail on Sunday, Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said that 'currently 14 per cent of primary and secondary schools across England have school weeks shorter than 32 hours'.
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And the Department for Education has said that 'a child who receives 20 minutes less of teaching time per day would lose out on around two weeks of schooling per year'.
The 32.5-hour school week is equivalent to 8.45am to 3.15pm, Monday to Friday, something most schools already offer.
But unions have criticised the move, saying there are often valid reasons why others don't.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: "We are unconvinced by the benefits of introducing a minimum expectation on the length of the school week of 32.5 hours.
"The vast majority of schools already meet, or come very close to meeting, this expectation. It will be important to understand the factors which may lead to fewer hours in some schools.
"For example, it may be the case in some rural schools that start and finish times are affected by transport arrangements. Adding time on to the school week may sound straightforward, but there are many issues which need to be considered in individual schools, and we would encourage the government not to rush any changes."
Are you happy with the length of the school day? Do you think it should be extended? Is your child getting the support they need? Let us know your views in the comments here.
The Schools White Paper, the first in six years, sets out how the government plans to get children's education back on track - giving those who have fallen behind in English or maths the support they need.
It wants 90% of primary school children to achieve the expected standard in Key Stage 2 reading, writing and maths by 2030.
In 2019, only 65% of children achieved this standard, with the Covid pandemic 'exacerbating challenges despite the incredible work of parents and teachers during this time'.
A second ambition for secondary schools aims to see the national average GCSE grade in both English language and maths increase from 4.5 in 2019 to 5 by 2030.
As well as setting the minimum school day, the government wants all schools to be part of - or in the process of joining - a multi-academy trust by 2030, and Ofsted will inspect every school by 2025, including the backlog of ‘outstanding’ schools that haven’t been inspected for many years.
Local authorities will have permission to establish trusts and gain the legal power to request their non-academy schools join a trust, 'where that is the right approach for local schools'.
Mr Zahawi said: "This is levelling up in action. The Opportunity for All White Paper will deliver for every child, parent and family, living anywhere from rural villages, to coastal towns through to the largest cities, by making sure all children have access to a school that meets our current best standards, harnessing the incredible energy and expertise of the one million people that work in schools.
"Any child who falls behind in maths or English will get the support they need to get back on track, and schools will also be asked to offer at least a 32.5 hour school week by September 2023.
"We know what works in schools and we are scaling up to ensure that every child can expect interesting, enriching lessons. Parents rightly expect a world class education for their children and that is what we will deliver."
Councils have welcomed the decision to give them the power to set up their own trusts.
Councillor Lucy Nethsingha, deputy chair of the Children and Young People Board at the Local Government Association, which represents councils across England, said: “Councils have a crucial role to play in education, from ensuring every child has a school place to turning around struggling schools, and as they showed when providing vital support to schools during the pandemic.
“We are pleased government has acted on our call for councils to be allowed to set up their own multi-academy trusts (MATs). Councils have an excellent track record in providing a high-quality education for pupils with 92 per cent of maintained schools rated by Ofsted as outstanding or good – a higher proportion than any other type of school.
"The government should go further and allow councils to support ‘orphan’ schools where Regional School Commissioners are struggling to find a strong MAT to take them on."
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