Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the number of state schools in England that regularly end the school day early on a Friday (a) since June 2017, (b) in the last 12 months and (c) since 1 January 2019.

The information requested is not held centrally.

Schools have the autonomy to decide the structure and duration of their school day, including deciding what time their school day should start and finish.

The structure of the school week should not be the cause of inconvenience to parents and carers, and it is unacceptable for schools to shorten their school week unless it is a direct action to support and enhance their pupils’ education.