The Government was forced to respond to a debate on a four-day school week after more than 125,000 people signed a petition calling for ministers to introduce one
19:27, 05 Jan 2026
An education minister has dismissed demands for a four-day school week amid concerns it would squeeze out “valuable time for school clubs, sport and homework”.
Children’s minister Josh MacAlister said the idea was “appealing” but said the move would undermine pupil learning and place unnecessary strain on families. He admitted more needed to be done to address the flexibility of teaching as a profession but said that progress was already happening in this area.
The Government was forced to respond to a debate on the issue after more than 125,000 people signed a petition calling for a four-day school week. The petition said: “We urge the Government to require all schools to reduce the school week to four instead of five days by making each school day one hour longer whilst requiring the school week to be four instead of five days.”
Speaking to MPs after a debate in Parliament today, Mr MacAlister said the Government had no plans to change the setup of the school week. He said: “Schools need enough time to deliver the curriculum to a high standard, while also ensuring appropriate breaks and opportunities for wider enrichment.
“Shortening the school week would upset this balance, making it harder for pupils to secure the knowledge and skill they need to go on and lead rich and fulfilling lives. Compressing more hours into fewer days would squeeze out valuable time for school clubs, sport and homework.”
He said the Government had recently restated its commitment to all state funded mainstream schools delivering a minimum school week of 32.5 hours. “Meeting this expectation is essential to delivering fairness and high standards for every child,” he said.
The minister added that published guidance encourages schools to consider extending their hours beyond the minimum 32.5 hours to focus on how that time can best support pupil development and deliver school priorities.
On addressing teacher workloads, Mr MacAlister continued: “We know that teacher workloads have been a challenge for schools, too often leading to high rates of teacher turnover.
“That's why it is so positive to see teachers working fewer hours now than in recent years, according to the most recent Working Lives survey that was published in November.
“There is certainly more work to do on making sure that teaching is a balanced and achievable long term career for people. But positive progress is being made as it is on retention and recruitment too, although that's probably a longer and separate Westminster Hall debate.”
During the short Westminster Hall debate this evening, MPs raised a range of points, including childcare issues for parents if kids go to school for one fewer day. They also raised mental health concerns given that issues spiralled when kids were isolated and away from their peers during the pandemic.
They also raised concerns about a longer school day being too tiring, about it taking up homework or exam revision time, or that it could effectively reduce face-to-face time with teachers.