Thousands of people have forced a parliamentary debate on switching to a four-day school week, setting up a clash with the government which has already ruled out the change.
Petition Forces Parliamentary Debate
A public petition started by Steve Smith, which gathered over 100,000 signatures, will be heard in Westminster Hall on Monday, January 5. This triggers a formal debate where MPs will discuss the public's demand.
The proposal suggests reducing the school week to four days while adding one extra hour to each of the remaining days. This restructuring aims to maintain the total weekly educational hours while granting a longer weekend for both pupils and staff.
Teacher Retention at the Heart of the Campaign
Campaigners, including the 4 Day Week Campaign, argue the shift is vital to solving the severe recruitment and retention crisis in education. They claim improving teachers' work-life balance is essential for the government to meet its target of recruiting 6,500 new teachers.
Joe Ryle, campaign director, issued a stark warning. He stated that without action to reduce burnout through shorter hours, the government's recruitment pledge would be "meaningless." He emphasised that poor work-life balance is a primary driver of staff leaving the profession.
Government Opposition and Practical Hurdles
The Department for Education (DfE) has firmly rejected the idea, stating it has no plans to require schools to adopt a four-day week. Current rules mandate that state-funded mainstream schools provide a minimum of 32.5 hours of education per week.
The DfE calculates that compressing these hours into four days would necessitate school days lasting over eight hours. Specifically, each of the four days would need to be extended by one hour and 38 minutes.
Beyond logistics, the government warns of a "damaging impact" on families and the economy. Ministers argue many parents would face increased childcare costs or be forced to cut their working hours, placing significant financial strain on households.
The upcoming debate will allow MPs to scrutinise the proposal in detail and hear the government's full reasoning for maintaining the current five-day model.
