Schools widely using exceptions to start classes before 9 a.m.
Classes are supposed to start at 9 a.m. this school year, but many schools are using an exception to begin earlier to keep schedules aligned with bus routes and extracurricular activities.
In exceptional cases and for serious reasons, and with mutual agreement between the school and the school operator, the school day may begin earlier, according to new rules.
In reality, the picture across Estonia is very varied, because schools must take into account extracurricular activities, public transport and many other circumstances. The Ministry of Education does not have an overall overview of schools' choices.
"The Ministry of Education and Research does not collect statistics on how many schools begin lessons before nine o'clock nor on the reasons why schools have decided to use the exception provided in the regulation," said Hele Liiv‑Tellmann, senior expert in the Ministry's basic and primary education department.
She added that schools do not have to coordinate their daily schedule or school day start time with the Ministry.
She also noted that if a school has already set that lessons begin earlier than nine, it does not need to apply for an exception again each school year, but the earlier start must continue to be a justified exception.
Start times vary across Tartu schools
In Tartu the school day begins at nine o'clock in about half of the schools, and at different times in the rest.
For example, Annelinna High School and Kristjan Jaak Peterson High School continue the existing practice of starting lessons at eight, Mart Reiniku School begins at 8:30, and Hugo Treffner High School from Tuesday to Friday at 8:15, but on Mondays at 9:20, preceded by an elective subject. Among Tartu private schools, there are both nine o'clock starters and 8:30 starters.
High schools start the earliest because their days are longer, said Riho Raave, head of the education department of Tartu city government.
Several schools have already shifted the start of the school day to nine o'clock in previous years. The head of the education department said that starting the school day later and finishing at a normal time requires reorganizing the entire school day.
"This can be quite a challenge for large schools, because both lesson and break lengths are set by regulation," Raave said. "The city government's position is that if schools decide in favor of an earlier start, discuss it in parent councils and make a justified proposal to the school operator, then the city government accepts it."
The head of Tartu city government's education department believes that each school and its community should decide the start time of the school day.
"The regulation fortunately allows this, and we have used this option in Tartu," said Raave.
Tallinn approved all applicants
Tallinn education department communications manager Sille Tiitsmaa said that all schools that applied ultimately received approval to start the school day at a time suitable for them, but with some schools the department clarified reasons and discussed the possibility of starting at nine next school year.
"We value schools' autonomy, and if it is clear that the school community has jointly thought through the start of the school day and the organization of the entire school day, we see no reason from the education department's side not to support such a decision," Tiitsmaa said.
In Tallinn, 36 schools applied for an earlier start, and lesson start times among schools that applied for an exception vary from eight o'clock — as in School No. 21 and School No. 32 — to 8:50, when lessons begin for Gustav Adolf High School, Lasnamäe Basic School and the first six grades of Tallinn Secondary School of Science.
Several schools conducted surveys among students, parents and teachers to find out the preferences of the school community, Tiitsmaa noted.
Schools that wanted an earlier start were those where lesson start times are differentiated or where teaching is done in two shifts, where cafeteria or sports facilities are more limited, or where other space‑related constraints restrict the school's possibilities.
"An earlier start is also important for schools whose students travel across the city and whose traffic peak would coincide with a nine o'clock start. This is certainly one reason why we consider exceptions necessary in future years as well," Tiitsmaa added, noting that dispersing morning traffic load remains an issue.
Smaller places prefer earlier starts more often
In Võru municipality, lessons begin before nine o'clock in all general education schools, varying between eight, 8:15 and 8:30.
"In making decisions, the opinions of parents and students, the positions of parent councils, student transport arrangements, regional dispersed settlement, balance of the daily schedule and students' well‑being have been considered," said municipal public relations specialist Kadri Kauts.
She added that several schools conducted surveys among parents, and in many places it was also important that the school day end at a reasonable time and that students be able to participate in extracurricular activities.
In Viljandi, all four basic schools start lessons at nine, while in Viljandi municipality school start times vary from eight to 8:40, and the decision is related, among other things, to bus schedules and extracurricular activities.
For example, Tarvastu High School's parent council decided at its spring meeting that timely arrival at school and timely arrival home or to training depends on public transport, and many municipal children attend extracurricular activities in Viljandi, and the school cannot change their start times.
"There is no justified need to change the school start time," Tarvastu High School's parent council decided, voting unanimously for an 8:20 start.
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Editor: Karin Koppel, Argo Ideon
