New School Day from September 2026

There is an important change to the structure of the school day that will take effect from September 2026.  Following extensive consultation with staff, leaders and trustees, and a detailed review of our timetable structure, we will be moving from a two-week timetable of fifty one-hour lessons to a one-week timetable of twenty lessons, each lasting 75 minutes.

This change has been carefully planned to strengthen the learning experience for students, provide greater consistency, and reflect national developments in curriculum and teaching practice.

Why we are making this change

For many years, our school has operated a two-week cycle alongside staggered eating breaks.  While this structure served the school well at the time it was introduced, it has increasingly created complexity for students – particularly in navigating Week A and Week B routines and working around different break times.  After reviewing the structure in detail, it became clear that a simpler model would better support students’ organisation, routines and overall school experience.

At the same time, curriculum expectations have evolved, and the evidence supporting longer, well-structured lessons has strengthened.  Our academic review emphasised the need for more time within lessons to explore ideas in depth, support high-quality discussion, and embed learning through extended tasks.

Benefits of longer lessons

Research into effective teaching shows that longer lessons offer significant educational advantages, including:

• Clear learning phases - Teachers can structure lessons with purposeful starts, active learning periods, and meaningful consolidation at the end, supporting stronger retention and understanding
• Better pacing and reduced cognitive overload - Alternating between teacher instruction, guided practice and independent or collaborative work helps maintain focus and prevents students feeling rushed or overloaded
• A wider variety of learning activities - In 75 minutes, teachers can incorporate group discussion, practical work, debate, extended writing and problem-solving - all of which deepen learning and engagement
• Greater opportunity for deeper exploration - Longer lessons give students time to think more critically, develop ideas thoroughly and complete more ambitious tasks that are often difficult to fit into short sessions
• More meaningful checking for understanding - Teachers can build in regular moments of assessment - such as questioning, quizzes or short practice tasks - allowing them to respond to students’ needs more effectively within the lesson itself

These benefits apply across the curriculum and will support students of all ages to make stronger progress.

A clearer and more consistent timetable

Moving to a one-week timetable will make our routines simpler and more predictable.  Students will no longer need to keep track of Week A and Week B, and with four longer periods each day rather than five shorter ones, there will be fewer transitions, reducing lost learning time and helping to maintain a calm, focused atmosphere around the school.

What will the new day look like?

A single, shared eating break

From September 2026, all students will enjoy one shared 40-minute eating break (with Year 7 having a 50-minute break to support transition).  This replaces the current staggered system, which was originally introduced due to canteen capacity but is no longer suitable for our growing and modernising site.

A single eating break will:

• Create a more consistent rhythm to the day
• Improve the experience of social time for students
• Align the school day more closely with other secondary schools
• Support a welcoming and inclusive whole-school atmosphere

Planning and preparation

Heads of Department and curriculum teams are already working on the adaptations needed for September 2026.  This includes refining schemes of learning, defining subject-specific teaching approaches for longer lessons, and planning professional development to ensure that every subject fully benefits from the new structure.

Next steps

We will continue to share further information as we finalise details of the new school day over the coming year, including timings, extra-curricular arrangements and guidance for students.

If you have any questions, in the first instance please consult the New School Day - Frequently Asked Questions document available on our website HERE.  If there is anything further, please do not hesitate to get in touch via the email address below:

newschoolday@chartersschool.org.uk

Thank you for your support.  We are confident that this change will enhance the quality of teaching and learning, simplify the school day, and create a more coherent experience for all students.