Expert: Starting school later would be better for young people

During puberty - Expert: Starting school later would be better for young people

Older students, according to experts, benefit from a later school start due to their need for more sleep in the morning. Research on sleep has shown that students during puberty are less performance-capable early in the morning, said Marc Kleinknecht, an expert for school pedagogy and school development at the Lüneburg Leuphana University, to the "Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung" (Friday). "The older the student girls and boys are, the later they go to bed."

They should sleep longer in the morning, but the regular school start does not allow this, said Kleinknecht. Having to get up at 7:00 a.m. or even earlier is a hardship for many. But if adolescents don't fall asleep in class, their well-being improves. However, at primary schools, a start time of 8:00 a.m. is not a problem, as younger children are usually lively and learning-capable at that time.

Expert calls for commitment to binding full-day school

At secondary schools, a teaching start at 9:00 a.m. would be desirable, said Kleinknecht. To win over working parents, there should be educational care offers at the schools before this hour, he demanded. This would also mean the entry into a binding full-day school with learning and relaxation phases in the morning and the afternoon "We have to get away from a crammed school morning with the 45-minute snippets." The current open full-day care with voluntary afternoon care is a cost-saving model, a real, binding full-day school costs the state money and personnel.

The chairman of the Parents' Association, Miriam Kaschel, told the newspaper that a later or open school start would be particularly meaningful for older students during puberty. In general, the education system must become more flexible to do justice to the individuality of students.

School leadership association: Dependent on public transportation

However, schools in rural Niedersachsen cannot simply decide to move the teaching start back, said the chairman of the School Leadership Association, René Mounajed. One reason could be the dependence on public transportation.

1. In Lower Saxony, Marc Kleinknecht, an expert from Lüneburg Leuphana University, advocates for a later school start at secondary schools in the "Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung".
2. The chairman of the Parents' Association in General, Miriam Kaschel, supports the idea of a later or open school start, especially beneficial for older students experiencing puberty.
3. Rural schools in Lower Saxony, as per René Mounajed, the chairman of the School Leadership Association, face challenges in shifting the school start due to their reliance on public transportation.
4. The desire for a 9:00 a.m. teaching start at secondary schools in Hanover, as suggested by expert Marc Kleinknecht, could ease the morning hardships experienced by students during their puberty period.

Read also:

• Tough return to normality in snow and ice
• Steinmeier joined a moment of silence - a legal battle over an AfD protest.
• German national soccer team on their way to participate in the European Championship qualifying matches.
• The flooding has lessened, but the aftermath of mud remains.