Prescribing the minimum annual number of learning hours: consultation

3. Evidence

International

3.1 The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) collected data on compulsory instruction time for the Education at a Glance 2021 publication and international comparisons are set out here. Please note that the average instruction time per year is influenced by the number of weeks of holiday for schools in that country, which means that weekly learning hours in practice may be higher than suggested for countries with more holidays.

3.2 Only three countries in the OECD – England, Scotland, and New Zealand - do not prescribe compulsory instruction time in schools. However, schools are required to be open for instruction for a minimum number of hours per day (New Zealand) or to allow sufficient instruction time to deliver a broad and balanced curriculum that includes all statutory requirements (England and Scotland).

3.3 The OECD average for annual learning hours at primary level (for countries with compulsory instruction time) is 807 hours. This ranges from 660 hours in Finland to 1147 hours in Costa Rica. Six OECD countries have longer annual learning hours than the accepted practice in Scotland (950 hours), including the United States (973 hours), Australia (1,000), Colombia (1,000), Denmark (1,000), Chile (1,026) and Costa Rica (1,147). A number of European countries have similar instruction time to Scotland, including Ireland (915 hours), Netherlands (940), and Portugal (905), as well as Canada (922).

3.4 At the secondary level, the OECD average for annual learning hours (for countries with compulsory instruction time) is 923 hours. This ranges from 766 hours in Slovenia to 1,200 hours in Denmark and Columbia. Six OECD countries have longer annual learning hours than the accepted practice in Scotland (1,045 hours), including Spain (1,056 hours), Costa Rica (1,120), Mexico (1,167), Denmark (1,200), Colombia (1,200) and Chile (1,065). Countries with similar instruction time to Scotland include the United States (1,022 hours), Netherlands (1,000), and Australia (1,000).

3.5 The UK Department for Education published a review of international evidence^[2] in November 2021 of the impact of the relationship between instructional time and outcomes. The Review found that a number of studies have indicated a positive relationship between the quantity of instructional time and outcomes across educational phases, and across a range of education systems, although the evidence varies in scale, quality and applicability. Studies show that the quantity of time is only one relevant factor (alongside, for example, teacher quality), and that whether additional time in learning has a positive impact on attainment, and the extent of this impact, depends on the additional time being used well.

England

3.6 In England, the Department for Education, has issued guidance^[3] which sets the expectation that all state-funded mainstream schools deliver a school week of at least 32.5 hours by September 2023 at the latest. The 32.5 hour minimum includes breaks and lunch times as well as teaching time and any extra-curricular activities that all pupils are expected to attend.