NSW Catholic school sparks four-day week debate with ‘learn from home’ Mondays for senior students

Parents at a regional Catholic college in New South Wales are welcoming a proposed change to the school week that would mean seniors spend Mondays at home.

Chevalier College, based in the southern highlands, has announced a proposal that would see students in years 10 to 12 learn and work from home on Mondays, a move the principal says would “set students up for success”.

The proposal would see students set work that would “consolidate learning” from the week before and plan for the week ahead, with participating students needing to complete a “micro-credential course” before being able to take part.

‘Learning the modern way’

The change has been praised by many of the pupils’ parents, who took to social media to congratulate Chevalier College on rethinking the school week.

One parent, Tonia Pezzella Krebs, told Guardian Australia she trusted the school and did not believe some media reports of parents criticising the changes.

“I welcome any new ideas. In this world we must all evolve, yet education is often stuck in the dark ages,” she said.

“I have total faith in the school to do the right thing by my children. I have nothing but praise for the school and for Principal Miller and I am excited that my son can experience learning the modern way.”

The move is part of a broader program the school is introducing that they hope will actually increase face-to-face learning with teachers, where Mondays are for students to prepare by “engaging in surface level tasks” so there is more time for “deeper learning” during the rest of the week.

The changes include additional options for elective subjects, more collaborative projects, weekly “embedded wellbeing time” and space for greater student agency.

The school’s principal, Greg Miller, said the reforms were designed to help students develop a sense of independence through self-directed learning.

“There is a focus on self regulation … and in particular [students’] ability to manage their time and plan ahead, set goals, consolidate their learning … that’s a lifelong learning capability that we want to enhance in our students,” he said.

“We are talking about increased opportunities for autonomy, something that is demanded of our students once they graduate.”

Students and parents were involved in developing the changes, Miller said, with a survey held earlier this year on what “education could look like in 3-5 years”.

Multiple community forums were also held throughout the year, all focused on educating the school community on the new program. Parents have “overwhelmingly” supported the move, Miller said.

“We have been inundated with messages of congratulations and encouragement to press forward.

“Parents see that the world is changing, and they believe in an approach that will better prepare their children for a rapidly changing future.”

In a statement on their website, the school said only four families indicated they were leaving the college because of the changes.

There are 900 students at the school, which is an independent co-ed Catholic high school in Bowral owned by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.

No plan for four-day weeks at NSW public schools

A spokesperson for the NSW education department said there were no plans to expand the program across the state.

“In consultation with parents and carers, individual NSW public schools have flexibility to vary their starting and finishing times,” the spokesperson said.

It comes after the Queensland education department released a policy outlining how schools could make changes to school hours from 2024, which included guidelines for altering the number of school days or changing school hours by more than 30 minutes.