School hour trial to offer families greater support
Eight schools have signed up to a NSW Government research pilot looking at ways to maximise the school day to better suit the needs of students and parents.
Premier Dominic Perrottet said the trial will see participating schools partner with community organisations, local businesses and sporting clubs to offer a range of high quality activities for kids at school outside the standard 9:00am to 3:00pm school day.
“We know it can be a challenge for families juggling the competing demands of work and family life around standard school hours and this pilot is about exploring options to help with that,” Mr Perrottet said.
“The pilot will run in Terms 3 and 4, looking at how we can improve access to our school sites, particularly those that are under utilised.
“We want to offer greater support and comfort to parents, knowing that their kids are safe and happy taking part in a homework club in the school library, a dance class in the school hall or soccer practice on the school oval.”
Minister for Education and Early Learning Sarah Mitchell said that traditional school day is already being reimagined by many schools to better meet the needs of students and their community with breakfast clubs, study centres, fitness and arts programs.
“The reality is that the traditional school day, like the 9 to 5 workday, is a 20th century concept which may not be the best model for 21st century families, schools and the community,” Ms Mitchell said.
“This isn’t necessarily about changing existing class times. What we are doing is finding ways to better support students and make it easier for working parents to manage their commitments.
“This research pilot will give us a better understanding of what schools are already doing, and how we can expand on or implement effective practices at similar schools.”
The pilot will run for 20 weeks during Term 3 and 4 and has been informed by research into current successful extended hours programs in schools, both locally and overseas.
Schools participating in the research pilot:
- Cawdor Public School
- Hanwood Public School
- Hastings Secondary College
- Kentlyn Public School
- Matraville Soldier’s Settlement Public School
- Orange High School
- Spring Hill Public School
- Tacking Point Public School