Doctors say school day far too long
Move to a four-day week has exhausted primary school pupils and is harming their ability to learn, medical report finds
PRIMARY school children are turning up to lessons tired because their timetable is too packed, a report by French doctors has found.
The National Academy of Medicine said the four-day week does not suit a child's body clock and is harming their ability to learn.
It found French pupils were spending up to two hours a day longer in lessons than elsewhere in the EU - typically working from 8.30 until 16.30. The Academy recommends no more than five hours a day.
The government scrapped Saturday morning lessons in September 2008 - giving children all of Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday out of the classroom.
However the doctors' report said the two-day weekend disrupted children's biological rhythm and made them tired and inattentive on Mondays and Tuesdays.
It is calling for lessons to be spread over at least four-and-a-half days and for the school year to be extended to about 180 days instead of the current 144.
The report says parts of the curriculum that require the most attention should be taught between 10.00 and 11.00, or from 15.00 to 16.00. The easiest subjects should come early in the morning and straight after lunch.
The Education Ministry responded to the report by saying schools were free to choose their own hours. Some 95% have opted to switch to the four-day week, but the rest have stuck to the old timetable or made alternative arrangements.
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