By Sheree Hoddinett
When I was at school (a long time ago or in the olden days, if you ask my kids), there would have been nothing better than a shorter school week! There was no way it was ever going to happen, but kids can dream right?! Kids today (yep I’m sounding older by the second) already want for nothing - my own kids included - the least we can do is keep them in school as long as possible.
Late last year it became high profile news that Queensland state schools would potentially have flexible days and times, in turn leading to a shorter school week in 2024. While it turns out that’s not exactly how the policy behind the idea works, the idea itself is certainly great in theory! Who wouldn’t want to have a three-day weekend to look forward to every week?! I can see kids with their hands in the air everywhere going “yesssss….less time at school!” But of course, nothing is that simple!
The policy ‘Making changes to school hours’ was introduced to ensure that all schools now follow the same mandatory processes in the event they wish to change school hours, outlining what is required for consultation, approval and implementation. What seems to have been over-reported and hyped up in the media (there’s something new, haha!) is the policy’s mention of changing the “number of school days per week/fortnight”, which has always been possible under the existing framework, but rarely acted upon.
While the new policy does allow for schools to trial shorter (or longer) days or a shorter school week, the Department of Education is adamant that the policy is not an automatic pass to shorter school weeks. It is expected that all Queensland state schools continue to operate for five days a week and the new policy does not give schools a green light to implement a four-day week. Any big changes can actually only be made with the full support and backing of the entire school community. So, the likelihood of Queensland schools moving to a four-day week is looking pretty unlikely, sorry kiddos!
If it were to ever possibly come to fruition and be considered as an option for schools, I don’t think I’d be keen. As much as I enjoy hanging out with my kids, they need to be at school five days a week! We all did the full quota and it certainly didn’t hurt us, so why should kids now be given special treatment? It’s hard enough trying to get things done in the small space of hours that currently constitutes a school day! It feels like the school day is over in 10 minutes between drop off and pick up as it is!
I grew up in a family where it was important we went to school every allocated day. I almost had to be on my death bed to get a day off school. Admittedly, it also put me on the right track to follow a good work ethic as well. So it begs the question, if we lessen school hours, how will those kids cope in their later working life? Would they expect a shorter week there too?
Only time will tell on this one…