Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.

An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.

HOW MUCH TIME do primary school pupils need to spend in school every day?

The Department of Education has confirmed a review into primary school hours which could lead to changes in the amount of time spent in the classroom.

It will also consider the length and frequency of break times across all classes at primary level.

This would be the first review of its kind since 1995, when a circular detailing set hours, holiday time and breaks in schools was written.

For junior and senior infants, who typically finish school earlier than senior students, the timing of the school day will be examined.

This has long been a feature of the education system but is regarded as an issue for parents who have to make two collections if they have children in both infant classes and older classes.

Social Democrats spokesperson on education Jen Cummins welcomed the review into the structure of the school day.

“I think this should be expanded to all classes. I would love to see more play time, extended lunchtime to eat free nutritious hot school meals followed by time outdoors,” she told The Journal.

Sinn Féin spokesperson on education, Darren O’Rourke, also supported reviewing the operation of schools, but said that progress should not be made without input from key stakeholders.

He said any move to shorten the school day would be unwise, adding that the pressure families are under to arrange childcare for primary school-aged children has to be a key consideration.

“There isn’t a day passes by that I don’t deal with parents who cannot access childcare and who cannot access after-school care for their children. Every family has two working parents at this stage. That’s different from it was 30 years ago,” he said.

“If we are to have a review, it has to be within that wider context”.

In January, the Oireachtas education committee visited Finland to examine the education model there.

They reported that Finnish children receive regular 15-minute breaks throughout the day along with longer lunch breaks.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with David McCullagh, Simon Lewis, principal of Carlow Educate Together National School, noted the merits of the Finnish model.

“We’ve learned a lot in my own school from the Finnish system. We sent a number of teachers over, and it was the biggest thing that we noticed, the amount of time they spend outside and the impact of that on just everything from children’s mood to behaviour”, he said.

Cummins, of the Social Democrats, said this type of education allowed for “movement, peer engagement and natural breaks between classes for the student to decompress”.

School days in Finland are also shorter, with students finishing earlier than in Ireland.

However, as O’Rourke noted, this is aided by a free public childcare system which we currently do not have in Ireland.

He also described the “packed Irish curriculum” with more material to get through in the school day.

A spokesperson for the Department of Education said the shorter school day for infant classes does not reduce the working day for teachers of those classes.

“This provision will be considered as part of a review of the circular and take into account the appropriate educational needs of the children attending junior classes,” it said.

The review is yet to commence and “further work will be required before such a review could begin”, it added.

To embed this post, copy the code below on your site