Review of primary school hours underway
The Department of Education is to review primary school hours in a move that could lead to changes in the amount of time children spend in the classroom.
Shorter hours for junior and senior infant classes, and the time given for breaks throughout the school day are among the areas that will be examined.
Junior and senior infants typically finish an hour earlier than older primary pupils, according to a report in the Irish Examiner.
Typical primary school days run from around 9am to 2pm for junior and senior infants and until 3pm for older students.
The arrangement has long been cited as a challenge for parents, who often have to collect younger children before returning later to pick up older siblings.
A Department of Education review could change that, with suggestions being made around different finishing times, and a longer lunch period.
Concerns have also been raised around the break lengths given to primary school children, with calls for additional play or rest time to be built into the school day.
The standard primary school day is currently set at five hours and 40 minutes, but individual boards of management can reduce this by one full hour for junior and senior infants.
The Department of Education is examining school hours, and officials have travelled over to Finland to look at its model as part of the process.
Educate Together Principal Simon Lewis told Newstalk that lunchtimes could be improved. "We get 25 minutes of lunchtime, but none of that time is allocated specifically to eating. So most children - and teachers - are wolfing down their lunches so they can get outside for as long as possible."
He said generally they race to eat their lunch in five to 10 minutes, "which is definitely not healthy".
The classroom structure in primary schools was last updated more than 30 years ago.
