The Welsh Government is looking at changing the school day and the academic year.
From next term 14 schools will be trialling a longer school day with an extra hour for activities and learning.
The idea is that it will help pupils in disadvantaged areas and those most affected by the pandemic and remote learning.
Read more education stories here
So how does the school day in Wales and the rest of the UK compare with other countries?
The hours spent at school and term dates vary significantly depending on where in the world pupils live.
Every country places different cultural and social values on education and the time spent on it. More hours in school doesn't necessarily add up to better attainment.
For example, the number of school days varies between 165 days in primary in Albania, Malta and Romania and 200 days in Denmark and Italy. In Romania and Serbia the number of schools days is higher in secondary school than in primary.
Japan has the most school days per year 220 days compared with 180 days for France, 193 in Australia and 190 for Wales and the rest of the UK.
Pupils in Albania enjoy a 15 week summer holiday while for those in Germany, Wales, the UK and Netherlands it's six weeks. In Italy and Portugal school summer holidays range from 12 to 14 weeks and in Bulgaria and Greece primary age children break up for the summer before those in secondary.
Children in Wales are in school for six hours from around 9am to 3pm while those in China start at 7.30am and finish at 5pm.
There are also different attitudes to homework and after school activities. There is hardly any homework in Finland but young people in China (Shanghai) do
Th is is ho w the school wo rld looks in different countries around the globe:
USA
The school day usually runs from 8am to 3 pm or 3.30 pm.
In high school there are six one-hour classes or four 90-minute classes with 10 minute breaks between classes and an hour for lunch, Extra-curricular activities and sports are scheduled after school hours.
The school year in the USA runs from early September until May or June divided into quarters, or semesters.
France
The school day runs from 8.30am to 4.30pm, but there are local variations. There are two breaks and a 90 minute lunch break during the day and 24 hours of lessons a week.
Some schools run before school or after school clubs, but there is a fee for attending.
The school year runs for at least 36 weeks with four holiday periods. As a general rule primary schools have half a day on Wednesdays so they have a 4.5 day week.
Spain
The school day in most primary schools in Spain runs from 9am to 12pm and 3pm to 5pm, but some run from 9am to 2pm. For those that return for the afternoon there is usually a two and a half to three-hour break in the middle of the day for lunch and a rest.
Secondary schools usually start the day at 8am and run until 3pm.
Times may vary in September and June when some schools are only operate for half of the day from 9am to 1pm.
Times also differ from area to area.
The school year runs in most schools for three 11 week terms from September to the end of June.
There are two two week holidays at Christmas and Easter and a 10 or 11 week summer break.
Schools are also closed on public holidays when they fall in term time and local religious days and fiestas which vary from place to place.
Ireland
Primary school usually runs from 9.30am to 3pm Monday to Friday, with the two classes for 5 and 6 year olds ending at 2pm. For all the older children it is a 5.5 hour day, including lunch break of half an hour and a smaller break mid-morning.
Secondary school runs from 9am to 3:30 pm, but some have a longer day midweek and finish at lunch time on Friday. On average the school day in secondary is 6.5 hours including an hour for lunch and a smaller break mid-morning.
The school year runs from September to June with a nine week summer break for primaries and 12 weeks for secondary. A further five weeks holidays and other local days off for public holidays are spread through the year.
Finland
Finland, where pupils spend just five hours in school a day, have almost no homework and 10 to 11 week summer breaks, consistently tops league tables for attainment.
The school day usually runs from 8.15am to 2.45pm with one hour for lunch and breaks between classes. For every 45 minutes of learning, the children get a 15-minute break
The school year starts between August 9 and 18 and runs until May 29 to 31 with a 10 to 11 week summer holiday and four or five weeks holiday spread across Christmas, Easter and mid terms.
Japan
In general pupils start the school day by 8.45am and finish at 3.15pm Monday to Friday, but some schools also run on Saturday mornings.
Japan has the most school days per year 220 days--compared with 180 days for France and the United States. The German school year was 185 days, while U.K. school kids attended classes for 190 days. Japanese children had only 12 weeks of holidays a year, almost a month less than French and American students.
The school day usually starts at 8.45am and ends at 3.15pm.
Most children and teenagers go to after school clubs, and many also go to juku (cram schools) for extra evening studying.
Italy
Schools in Italy run classes Monday to Saturday, beginning from 8am and lasting around five hours.
More schools are now introducing a shorter week where pupils attend for more than five hours Monday to Friday and have Saturday free.
Most primary and lower secondary schools run from 8am to 1pm Other schools may only run from Monday to Friday, in which case, students would have a one-hour lunch break and classes until around 4pm.
Summer holidays are 12 to 14 weeks and run from June to September.
Singapore
The school day usually runs from around 7.50am to 1.15pm and the academic year is split into four 10 week terms.
A study by the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) showed pupils in Singapore do an average 9.4 hours homework a week, while those in Shanghai-China do even more.
China
School days are longer and holidays are shorter. The secondary school year is 245 days with Chinese pupils getting around four weeks off in winter, and seven weeks in summer, including weekends and days off for traditional festivals.
The school day usually runs from 7.30am to 5pm with a two hour lunch break. In mainland China children do around 2.5 hours of homework a day but some do far more (see above).
Australia
School days are from Monday to Friday 9am to 3pm but can vary and run from 8am to 4pm in some areas. Lunch break is one hour.
The school year is split into four terms of between nine and 11 weeks.
Russia
School runs Monday to Friday from 8am to around 1pm or 2 pm. The summer break is three months.
A typical class lasts 40 to- 45 minutes with a five to 15 minute break in between. In primary school students have four classes a day. This increases to between five and seven classes a day in secondary school.
Canada
School hours generally run from 8am to 3pm or 9am to 4pm Monday to Friday with an hour for lunch.
There are between 180 and 190 days in the school year depending on the area.
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