Closed petition Extend school day to 5.30pm, with two hours of PE from 3.30-5.30pm

Closed on 27 May 2024

Extend school hours to 5.30pm, with 2hrs of physical education at 3.30pm. This should help working parents remain in full-time work, and could help tackle obesity and safeguard children's mental health. Costs may be offset by keeping more parents in work (paying taxes and not claiming benefits).

I urge the Government to act because extending school hours to 5:30 pm should support working parents, better allowing full-time employment while mitigating childcare costs. This should also combat child obesity through extra physical activity, potentially yielding long-term health benefits and reducing NHS burdens. The potential increased tax revenue and reduced benefit dependency from working parents should help offset the costs, creating a potentially self-funding model that reinforces both family stability and economic growth.