The NSW Education Department is looking to change school hours under a radical new overhaul of the traditional 9am-3pm model.
The NSW Government will work with schools to explore how changing or extending the hours of a school day can provide them the flexibility to better suit students and families.
“The reality is that the traditional school day, like the 9 to 5 workday, is a 20th century concept which may not always be relevant for schools in the 21st century,” Mitchell told The Educator.
“This project is an opportunity to identify measures which improve the educational outcomes for students and remove pressure from parents and carers by being flexible with school hours, and then see how they might be scaled to similar schools.”
Minister Mitchell said initiatives that will be examined or trialled include earlier starts or later finishes to the school day, extending school operating hours to run before and after school activities such as study or breakfast clubs, and split shift school days.
“Through our BASC election commitment we have already created an additional 10,000 before and after school care places,” she said.
“This process included surveying parents and carers which has provided us with a better understanding of the work requirements of families and how schools can support them and our students’ educational outcomes”.