{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/education-schools-and-further-education-regulations-1981/regulation-10",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/education-schools-and-further-education-regulations-1981/regulation-10.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/1981/1086",
  "legislation_title": "The Education (Schools and Further Education) Regulations 1981",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/education-schools-and-further-education-regulations-1981",
  "path": "regulation/10",
  "kind": "regulation",
  "number": "10",
  "heading": "Duration of school year and day",
  "text": "(1) Subject to paragraph (5), every day on which a school meets shall be divided into two sessions which shall be separated by a break in the middle of the day unless exceptional circumstances make this undesirable.\n(2) In each year a school shall meet for at least 400 sessions reduced, where occasional holidays are granted in term-time, by not more than 20 sessions in respect of such holidays so, however, that nothing in this paragraph shall require a nursery class to meet for that number of sessions:\nProvided that where at any time a school is prevented from meeting, for one or more sessions for which it was intended that it should meet and it is not reasonably practicable for arrangements to be made for it to meet at an alternative time for those sessions, the school shall be treated for the purposes hereof as if it had met as intended.\n(3) Subject to paragraphs (5) and (6), on every day on which a school, other than a nursery school, meets there shall be provided—\n(a) in classes mainly for pupils under the age of 8 years, other than nursery classes, at least 3 hours of secular instruction, and\n(b) in classes for pupils of or above that age, at least 4 hours secular instruction.\n(4) Subject to paragraphs (5) and (6), on every day on which a nursery school or nursery class meets there shall be provided at least 3 hours of suitable activities:\nProvided that on a day on which a pupil—\n(a) attends a nursery class which meets for only a single session, or\n(b) attends a nursery school or class for one only of two sessions,\nit shall be sufficient to provide him with 1½ hours of suitable activities.\n(5) In a school which meets on 6 days a week there may on 2 of those days be only a single session and, in relation to a day on which there is only a single session, paragraphs (3) and (4) shall have effect as if the periods of 3 hours and of 4 hours there mentioned were, respectively, periods of 1½ hours and of 2 hours.\n(6) The marking of registers shall be carried out outside the minimum periods of instruction or activities referred to in paragraphs (3) and (4) but there shall count towards those periods, as if it were time spent upon secular instruction or suitable activities—\n(a) any time allowed for recreation;\n(b) time occupied by medical or dental examinations, or treatment;\n(c) time required in a voluntary school for the inspection of religious education in pursuance of the proviso to section 77(5) of the Education Act 1944.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [
    {
      "type": "amended",
      "affecting": "uksi/1998/2792",
      "affecting_title": "The Education (Schools and Further Education) (Amendment) Regulations 1998"
    },
    {
      "type": "replaced (by reg.10(7)(8)(9))",
      "affecting": "uksi/1998/2792",
      "affecting_title": "The Education (Schools and Further Education) (Amendment) Regulations 1998"
    },
    {
      "type": "excl",
      "affecting": "uksi/1994/2103",
      "affecting_title": "The Education (Pupil Referral Units) (Application of Enactments) Regulations 1994"
    },
    {
      "type": "amended",
      "affecting": "uksi/1986/542",
      "affecting_title": "The Education (Schools and Further Education) (Amendment) Regulations 1986"
    },
    {
      "type": "amended",
      "affecting": "uksi/1988/2154",
      "affecting_title": "The Education (Schools and Further Education) (Amendment) Regulations 1988"
    },
    {
      "type": "amended",
      "affecting": "uksi/1990/2259",
      "affecting_title": "The Education (Schools and Further Education) (Amendment) Regulations 1990"
    },
    {
      "type": "revoked",
      "affecting": "uksi/1999/3181",
      "affecting_title": "The Education (School Day and School Year) (England) Regulations 1999"
    },
    {
      "type": "amended",
      "affecting": "uksi/1987/879",
      "affecting_title": "The Education (Schools and Further Education) (Amendment) Regulations 1987"
    },
    {
      "type": "revoked",
      "affecting": "wsi/2000/1323",
      "affecting_title": "The Education (School Day and School Year) (Wales) Regulations 2000"
    }
  ],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1981/1086/regulation/10",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T18:35:30.517085+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}