Track my order
Advice
Contact us
Shorter school days for Scottish teenagers
Author: Jonathan Warren
The battle for five more minutes of sleep in the morning could soon be over for teenagers in Scotland, since a motion has been put before Glasgow City Council to allow them to start classes an hour later than younger students. The Herald Scotland reports that Dr Nina Baker, a local councillor and member of the Green Party, put forward a motion claiming that teenagers require more sleep than adults and younger children in order to work at their best.
Her motion is supported by academic research into the sleeping patterns of teenagers. Dr Baker argued that “a waking up time of 7am for a teenager is the equivalent of a 5am wake up call for an older adult” meaning that teenagers often arrive at school more tired than their teachers, which can lead to poor memory and learning abilities.
The benefits of a later start have been demonstrated in other schools, with students achieving higher grades as a result. In 2009/10, Monkseaton High School in North Tyneside found that after starting lessons from 10am, instead of 9am, general absence dropped by eight per cent and persistent absenteeism by 27 per cent.
However, critics of the motion argue that the focus should be on other factors that might leave teenagers tired in the morning, such as staying up late to watch television and play computer games. A spokesman for the Educational Institute of Scotland was also sceptical of the motion stating that "it is very unlikely that such an initiative would find favour with parents and teachers”.
