The theme of continuous school days or games is current in many schools that raise this issue. Therefore, we are interested in these data extracted from a study carried out by the National Commission for the Rationalization of Timetables in Spain and which indicate that, Among the majority of European schoolchildren, Spanish children leave school later.
We have already spoken on other occasions of the excessive hours they spend in school and that, at the end of the day, children have barely had free time, they may end up exhausted and with hardly any contact with parents in the event that they work.
Through the continuous journey, the learning time in the school and after-fun-learning-rest would be optimized. It is the model of some rather envied educational systems, such as Finnish. Of course, in Finland the working days of the parents of these students end long before we usually have in Spain ...
Finish at five in the afternoon like most Spanish children It is finishing too late if we compare it with other countries around us (only Italy is approaching at this time). In all of the countries analyzed, the school day ends between 1.30 pm and 3.00 pm, while Spain and Italy finish it at 5:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., respectively, in the cases of split day.
The data have been obtained from the embassies of Germany, Belgium, Finland, France, Holland, Italy, Portugal, United Kingdom, Sweden and Spain, and the most common schedules have been reviewed, since each country can have its own peculiarities.
It seems unfeasible that, if the parents finish their day at seven or eight in the afternoon, their young children do so at two. Then, the options are: return and be alone at home, with the risks that entails; or extend the day with "extracurriculars" programmed by the school itself that can end up stressing children and leaving them, equally, without free time (and with the extra expense that they entail…).
So, as the National Commission for the Rationalization of Timetables intends, the working days of the Spaniards would also have to undergo a modification to try to improve this issue and that the days of the children in the school took them into account in first place.
Which, with the current scenario, does not seem possible in the short term ... A profound transformation of society, a "revolution" is needed. And that work and family reconciliation is really favored, that their benefits are really trusted.
In short, a piece of information for reflection and debate, since we will continue to listen to opinions in favor and against the continuous days. What is beyond doubt is that Spanish children are among those who spend more hours in school, by the way, without implying better educational results.
