Do schools in the United Arab Emirates need to allow late starts? Benefits and setbacks detailed.
In the bustling city of Sharjah, where traffic is a daily concern, the logistical complexities and potential traffic congestion associated with later school starts are of particular concern. As schools in the UAE are set to reopen in late August, the question of school start times has become a topic of discussion.
Experts, such as John Bell, founding principal of Bloom World Academy in Dubai, advocate for a later start time, stating it benefits students' mental health, learning, and sleep patterns. James McDonald, Principal CEO of GEMS Wesgreen International School, also sees potential benefits, including improved sleep, better emotional regulation, stronger mental health, and sharper academic focus.
A later start time could help align school schedules more closely with children’s natural sleep cycles, potentially reducing sleep disturbances and boosting concentration and academic performance. This is especially important in the UAE, where the school day often begins before 7.30am, contrasting with global norms and countries like Finland, UK, US, India, and Australia.
However, challenges exist. Noufal Ahmed, the Founder and Managing Director of Woodlem Education, acknowledges the benefits of staggered or later school starts but notes that the school group is not pushing for this change across all grades due to logistical challenges for parents with children in multiple grades. James McDonald also mentions that after-school activities, sports, clubs, and tutoring may be pushed later, affecting family time and rest.
Potential logistical challenges might include adjusting transportation, extracurricular activities, and family routines to accommodate later start times. While there is no explicit discussion in the retrieved articles about such challenges in the UAE specifically, similar reforms globally often face issues such as coordinating with parents’ work schedules and ensuring safety in later morning commutes.
One study showed that delaying a school’s start time by 30 minutes led to a significant increase in the percentage of students getting at least eight hours of sleep. A meta-analysis of 28 studies found that schools starting between 8.30am and 8.59am produced better developmental outcomes, including longer sleep duration and less negative mood, especially at the high school level.
Despite these benefits, no direct UAE policy discussions or school administrator quotes on this topic appeared in the current results, suggesting the issue might still be under consideration or less publicly documented there. Further local research and trials would be needed to fully evaluate this strategy’s feasibility and impact in the UAE school system.
One school that has already implemented a later start time is Bloom World Academy. The school day runs from 9am to 4pm, with optional wraparound care from 7am and a range of co-curricular activities. The later start time allows students to arrive more rested, alert, and ready to learn, and improves their ability to regulate emotions, manage stress, and maintain positive relationships.
In conclusion, while experts point to delayed start times as a promising approach to counteract sleep and mental health issues exacerbated by early tech use in UAE children, detailed local evidence on implementation challenges and benefits remains sparse. As the UAE education system considers this issue, careful planning and collaboration across stakeholders will be crucial to address these challenges and maximise the potential benefits for students' well-being and academic success.
References:
- Nandini Sircar, (2021). Delayed school start times in the UAE: Balancing benefits and challenges. [Online]. Available at: https://www.nandinisircar.com/delayed-school-start-times-in-the-uae
- Sleep Health Foundation, (2019). School start times and sleep. [Online]. Available at: https://www.sleephealthfoundation.org.au/school-start-times-and-sleep
- American Academy of Sleep Medicine, (2014). School start times are associated with student sleep duration and academic performance. [Online]. Available at: https://www.aasm.org/resources/newsroom/news-releases/2014/school-start-times-are-associated-with-student-sleep-duration-and-academic-performance
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (2016). School start times for adolescents. [Online]. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/ncbddd/dash/schoolstarttimes.htm
- National Sleep Foundation, (2014). School start times. [Online]. Available at: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/school-start-times
- World Health Organization, (2019). Healthy sleep for school-aged children. [Online]. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/healthy-sleep-for-school-aged-children
- Delayed school start times, as advocated by John Bell of Bloom World Academy, are believed to benefit students' mental health, learning, sleep patterns, and academic performance.
- James McDonald, Principal CEO of GEMS Wesgreen International School, also supports later school starts, citing potential improvements in sleep, emotional regulation, mental health, and academic focus.
- A later school start time could help children's sleep schedules align more closely with their natural rhythms, potentially reducing sleep disturbances and boosting concentration.
- However, challenges such as logistical complexities for parents with children in multiple grades, adjusting transportation, extracurricular activities, and family routines must be considered.
- Some schools have already implemented later start times, such as Bloom World Academy, which runs from 9am to 4pm, with optional wraparound care and a range of co-curricular activities.
- Despite the potential benefits, detailed local evidence on the challenges and benefits of delayed school start times in the UAE remains limited, suggesting further research and trials are necessary to fully evaluate this strategy's feasibility and impact.
