Spanish schoolchildren have the longest day in Europe, say investigators
Friday, May 23, 2014 @ 10:29 PM
KIDS in Spain finish school much later in the day than anywhere else in Europe – and nearly always go on to take evening classes afterwards, says a commission set up to research a possible change in working hours.
Whilst children elsewhere in Europe finish their school day between 13.30hrs and 15.00hrs on average, Italian pupils do not clock off until 16.30hrs and in Spain, until 17.00hrs.
Spanish children under 12 typically work a nine-to-five day – with their two-hour lunch break from noon to 14.00hrs starting whilst their parents are still at work and finishing just as mum and dad come home for their midday rest – and high school pupils normally have a continuous 08.00hrs to 14.00hrs day with short scheduled breaks.
The National Commission for Reasonable Hours in Spain examined school starting and finishing times in the UK, Germany, Belgium, Finland, The Netherlands, Sweden, Portugal and Italy as well as for Spanish children, and found the latter have the longest days in the classroom.
Some schools in Spain intend to revamp their hours from next September – the academic year for 2015-2016 – starting at 09.00hrs and running until 14.00hrs with short playtimes but no lunch hour.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com