§ Mr. Win GriffithsTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the length of the school day in, each European Union state; and what evidence he has about the link between the length of the school day and standards as achieved by students in each EU country.
§ Mr. Robin SquireComparable information on the length of the school day in other countries is not held centrally. Some relevant information can be found in the National Foundation for Educational Research's 1992 report "Learning Mathematics and Science: The Second International Assessment of Educational Progress in England", a copy of which is in the Library. Further information will be available in a forthcoming Eurydice publication, "Organisation of School Time in Member States of the European Community", which is expected to be published by the end of the year.
Initial work carried out in my Department indicates on average a small but statistically significant positive correlation between the length of the taught week—as opposed to the length of the school day or week—and educational performance as measured by public examinations and national tests.
618WDetails of relevant research carried out in other EU member states are not held centrally.