The most beneficial school day: Split or intensive? 2026

What is the most convenient school day for students? An issue that is not the first time that it has been on everyone's lips, as are other topics such as the choice between public or private education, the performance of homework in class or the mandatory use of uniforms.

If we focus on the school schedule, the truth is that it is a debate that is still current given the weight it has in the educational system. Therefore, if the objective of a good education is that children not only learn, but also that their interest and motivation are enhanced, it is logical that we reflect on the consequences that adopting one schedule or another may have on them, right?

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The discontinuous day - which has always been the most common - usually follows an approximate schedule of 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.; compared to the continuous one, which concentrates it between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., although the centers remain open until five in the afternoon.

Unlike what used to be traditional, in recent years the continuous day has been implemented in the majority of Spanish public schools and – perhaps – this could be the most harmful.

In favor of the split day

What is clear on this issue is that there are defenders and detractors on both sides. However, on one front there is now recent research from the field of chronobiology that affirms that the split day could be better adapted to the biological rhythms of students, especially in the case of adolescents.

As stated in a document by the Valencian Society of Pediatrics (SVP), we distinguish the various lessons they have obtained:

Following this line, pediatricians consider that schedules should be imposed following the "chronological performance of students to improve their learning and academic results, and thus avoid distractions or drowsiness that may occur throughout the school day."

And for many people, the continuous shift has several points against it:

• It forces children to eat later than they should and spend hours without putting anything in their mouths, which leads them to end up eating anything when they get home. In turn, this leads to poor nutrition, which, at the same time, can lead to obesity problems and going to school becomes a place where subjects are exclusively learned. And time in the playground is also beneficial due to the physical and social activity they do while playing.

For this reason, the Valencian Pediatric Society (SPV) offers the following time recommendations:

With all this, the SPV believes it is convenient to establish a “school starting time between 8:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. depending on age, with a distribution of subjects based on the moments of greatest attention of the students, with respect to the rhythms derived from chrononutrition, favoring the midday meal from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. and ending school activity around 4:30 p.m.”

Against the split day

However, there are those who affirm that continuous work is the most beneficial for everyone. These are some of his arguments:

Having all this on the table, what is evident is that there are many factors that have to be considered to position oneself in favor of one day or another. And, as the Valencian Society of Pediatrics concluded in its report, it must be taken into account that in the design of the school schedule it is important that the entire educational community participates - from parents to teachers - as well as professionals from other fields such as nutritionists, sociologists, chronobiologists or paediatricians, among others.

That is why it is so difficult to clearly establish which option is better over the other, because it depends largely on other family, work, social and economic reasons that directly affect the decision. If you had to choose one, what would be your opinion?