Extending the school day could improve attendance, report finds
Alison Perry
Netmums contributorMaking the school day longer — and offering free extra-curricular activities — would also have a range of positive outcomes when young people are in their early twenties, according to new report
Lengthening the school day would improve attendance and help the future prospects of pupils, according to an independent research institute.
The new findings published by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) show that not only is there a link between children taking part in extra-curricular activities at school and their future success and happiness, but also school attendance.
The charity has called on the government to support schools to offer an extended school day, with extra funding for schools with vulnerable pupils.
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Stark contrast between private and state schools
The study, funded by the Law Family Educational Trust, examined participation in sports, hobbies, arts, and music clubs during secondary school.
It found a stark contrast between private and state school pupils, with those in private schools more likely to do after-school sports and activities.
The report also states that children eligible for free school meals, those with lower prior attainment, and those with health issues or special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) participated less in clubs.
David Robinson, director for post-16 and skills at the EPI, said: 'Our research clearly shows that not all students have equal access to extra curricular activities and the range of long-term benefits that may result from participation.'
The benefits include a 'positive association' between extra curricular clubs in secondary school and being in employment or education in early twenties and better school attendance.
'As well as spreading opportunities for enrichment more evenly, a well-designed extended school day also has the potential to contribute towards improving attendance levels in schools,' says Mr Robinson.
Taking part in sports or other after-school activities in secondary school is linked to ‘positive outcomes’ in adulthood – but many disadvantaged pupils are missing out, warns @EduPolicyInst reporthttps://t.co/7fl14zyKZe
— Tes (@tes) February 16, 2024
'These activities should not be considered as a nice “extra” for those that can afford it'
In response to these findings, the EPI has urged the government to support schools in offering an extended school day.
This extension should include enrichment activities such as sports, hobbies, music, and art, alongside academic activities.
'If policymakers are serious about addressing the many inequalities of opportunities for young people, access to these activities should not be considered as a nice “extra” for those that can afford it, but an integral part of childhood for all,' says Mr Robinson.
'With good reasons to think that these gaps in participation may have worsened for more recent cohorts, with the cost of living rising for families and school absence rates increasing in the wake of the pandemic, policymakers must act to ensure that the most vulnerable students are not missing out.'
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Isn't the school day being extended already?
This isn't the first time that the length of the school day has been discussed and debated.
Plans to lengthen the school day for all state school pupils — which were initially set out last year as part of the Schools White Paper by then-Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi — were delayed last year due to pressures on staff.
As part of the guidelines, schools were told they must open for a minimum of 32.5 hours a week from autumn 2023, which is the equivalent to a school day of 8:45am until 3:15pm.
The plan was put into place to help pupils catch up on their education, following the pandemic, but put on hold until September 2024.
'Longer school days would help us with childcare'
Experts have spoken out before about the benefits — to pupils and parents — of overhauling the school day and working day.
Christine Armstrong, researcher and author of The Mother Of All Jobs, says that extending the school day could solve the majority of parents' childcare issues.
'Our hours culture is a major problem,' she says. 'It would be really beneficial if we could work a sensible working day of seven or eight hours that was really quite fixed, and have school match that time.
'I'm not suggesting that teachers have to teach for that full time that we're at work, but we can have clubs and activities that are fairly standardised.'
Christine uses the changes made during WWII to illustrate how her ideal school hours/working hours set-up could work.
'They changed school hours because the women were working in the factories because the men were at war. The factory shut at 5pm and overnight, they changed school hours so it finished at 5.15pm.
'So, all the mums would leave the factory, pick up the kids and go home for tea. And that worked really well.
'I think we need something similar to that. We need manageable working days that broadly match our access to childcare, whether it's school or nurseries.'
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