Should schools start later at 8am?

[sushi88]

If the reason is about sleep, it's not a good reason because sleeping at 10pm(10-6 is a good 8 hours) is the right thing to do for kids if they want to get sufficient sleep. You do not try to lose weight by adjusting the 0 marker to get a smaller number for the weight, do you?

If the reason is to ease off the traffic in congested areas and make it more efficient for everyone, then I would go for staggering of start time for the various schools in the same vicinity. For example, School A, C, E in year 2022 start at 7:30am, School B, D, F in 2022 start at 8:00am...then in 2023, they reverse. So kids get to go to school the entire year with that same time without having to remember different times for different days.

Also, instead of self-reading, school should perhaps think of a simple 15-min dance routine like shuffling every morning to energize the kids before they start their lesson. It will definitely make the morning vibrant for the kids. So maybe it's good to make all uniforms convert to hard-to-crease t-shirt material and only need to wear cotton ones when there are formal occasions. This cut down on ironing for all families on a regular basis too unless those who still choose to iron, that's personal choice.

If health is what we are talking about, this should be the way to go, even the family benefits from it due to less time spent on ironing and more time for resting.

[Zeal mummy]

If the reason is about sleep, it's not a good reason because sleeping at 10pm(10-6 is a good 8 hours) is the right thing to do for kids if they want to get sufficient sleep. You do not try to lose weight by adjusting the 0 marker to get a smaller number for the weight, do you?

If the reason is to ease off the traffic in congested areas and make it more efficient for everyone, then I would go for staggering of start time for the various schools in the same vicinity. For example, School A, C, E in year 2022 start at 7:30am, School B, D, F in 2022 start at 8:00am...then in 2023, they reverse. So kids get to go to school the entire year with that same time without having to remember different times for different days.

Also, instead of self-reading, school should perhaps think of a simple 15-min dance routine like shuffling every morning to energize the kids before they start their lesson. It will definitely make the morning vibrant for the kids. So maybe it's good to make all uniforms convert to hard-to-crease t-shirt material and only need to wear cotton ones when there are formal occasions. This cut down on ironing for all families on a regular basis too unless those who still choose to iron, that's personal choice.

If health is what we are talking about, this should be the way to go, even the family benefits from it due to less time spent on ironing and more time for resting.

Agree with you on the uniform part, having a more comfortable attire throughout the day will be beneficial, especially since kids are meant to be active.

I don’t quite like the analogy of adjusting the weight meter.. as research has shown that the circadian cycle of teens are longer, they tend to sleep later, having a slightly later start time will help them focus better. Although I understand there could be other constraints.

[chenlaoshi]

While gathering reading materials for my students to read up and discuss on the topic, I came across these articles. For reading pleasure:

ScienceTalk: Why students should start school later (Straits Times Premium) by Joshua Gooley, June Lo and Michael Chee

周维介：推迟上课时间 学生能否睡饱

交流站：推迟上课时间不保证充足睡眠

交流站：推迟上课时间势在必行

教育部或探讨让学校延后上课时间

[Zeal mummy]

While gathering reading materials for my students to read up and discuss on the topic, I came across these articles. For reading pleasure:

ScienceTalk: Why students should start school later (Straits Times Premium) by Joshua Gooley, June Lo and Michael Chee

周维介：推迟上课时间 学生能否睡饱

交流站：推迟上课时间不保证充足睡眠

交流站：推迟上课时间势在必行

教育部或探讨让学校延后上课时间

Thanks for sharing! Do you foresee that this will be an O-level oral/compo topic?

[chenlaoshi]

Thanks for sharing! Do you foresee that this will be an O-level oral/compo topic?

Yeah, definitely one of the possibilities --> https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/foru ... 1#p2056337

[sevenseals]

It is uniquely Singapore, that a half hour decision has to be debated for so many years by so many people. It has now been discussed in Parliament. Raised by Jamus and CCS taichi it to principals. Principal dare not make such a decision, so it is back to square one again.
Jamus said staggered time can reduce traffic jam.

Time has changed, we are now GMT +8:00, no longer GMT +7:30.

If you ask parents about this,
Parent: Why would I agree to change to 8am? It mean later kids handover time, ie I have to take care of kids another half hour. Why not let teachers take care for another half hour instead. You think parents so free, have to work, take care of house, kids, spouse & senior folks.

Strangely, nobody ask the kids, who are the real stakeholders.
If you check reddit/s, you will find most older kids in secondary school who have grown up and are able to voice out, are against the 7:30am start time, waking up so early to sit on the floor for meaningless assembly or reading. Can't they read at home?

https://mothership.sg/2022/03/jamus-lim ... art-later/

[MrsKiasu]

We have one in secondary starts later in 1 day every 2 weeks. Imo no good if you have a sibling who starts school at regular timing. Ended up still wake up and go school at regular timing..wait in school for lessons to start. And luckily 1 day only.

[zeit.]

Actually now that MYE has been scrapped for all levels, teachers have more periods to go in-depth more topics in T2. That extra 1 period after assembly is not so critical now.

As such, maybe Pri-Sec can consider starting school at 8am, though some sec schools & JCs already start late on selected/all days?

I know TW's Senior High School (our Yr 4 - JC 1&2) is going to start their hours at 8.00am-5.00pm. Early morning assemblies and self-reading/revision time have been removed on selected days.

https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4465976

What CCS and MOE need to do is to engage all stakeholders: parents, bus operators, students and teachers.

If this policy goes thru, it'll be on CCS' report card because it's a major reform not seen since independence. He doesn't have anything memorable at this point as Minister for Education. So far, everything's inherited from his predecessors.

PSLE AL system, media gag on school ranking - HSK
OBS training / classroom cleaning - NCM
G123/SBB, scrapping of MYE for P3 & 5, no exams for P1-2, Teachers carpark fees - OYK
There's nothing I can remember that LW did when he was in MOE.

[MrsKiasu]

Yes pls consider Pri &Sec together.. both start later is ok.

[Imp75]

I thought there was a period of time OYK was heading tertiary edn in MOE while LW was heading the Pri/sec so could it be the SBB came from LW? I was in NUS when OYK came on board in 2015? And oh man! He really scrutinised the accounts/expenditure and cut away many "good-to-have" privileges.....