Would you offer teenagers a later start to the school day if science suggested you should?
In an article for the Times Education Supplement, Jonathan Taylor of North Bridge House School Canonbury in the UK tackles the hotly contested topic.
If the evidence suggests that later starts make teenagers happier and more productive, and the implementation cost is practically zero, then why not do it?
The question, to my mind, is not why should we cater to their needs, but rather why shouldn’t we? Why wouldn’t we wish to confer that benefit to our students?
At North Bridge House Canonbury, we introduced a later start for our sixth-formers at the start of this academic year. It’s proved very popular; there would be very little support among parents, students or teachers for a return to the 8.40am starts of previous years.
You can read the article in full on the Times Education Supplement website: Why it makes perfect sense to allow teenagers a lie-in and a later start to the school day.