Schools in the city of Forssa moved the starting time for basic education classes from 8 to 9 am last year. The feedback from the trial has been positive, with the effort reducing delays by nearly half, while also decreasing absenteeism.
Amanda Honkala, a 9th grader at Akvarelli school in Forssa, was pleased with the later starts.
"I feel more focused at school. I can do better in the afternoons because I can sleep a little longer in the mornings," she said.
Milo Sihvonen has also been enjoying calmer mornings. He cycles to school, leaving home at half past eight.
"I have time to prepare for school without rushing," he explained.
Forssa first testing the later start time last year and decided to continue the arrangement.
According to Jarmo Pynnönen, the south-western city's education director, the later starts not only significantly impacted the students but also staff members. Now, staff are more able to meet with pupils and parents before classes begin.
A few years ago it was reported that some schools in Helsinki, Turku and Tampere delayed school start times after a good deal of debate on the change.
Later school start times have also been extensively examined in international research. Several studies suggest that later mornings benefit students.
"A later school start time helps extend sleep to some degree and has positive effects on young people's well-being," said Professor Anu-Katriina Pesonen, a sleep researcher at the University of Helsinki.
Best time to start the day
Municipalities are able to independently decide their schools' starting times.
Uniform start times are typical in small municipalities with only a single primary school. According to the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities, there are about 65 such municipalities in the country.
In larger municipalities, school start time often depends on factors like school transportation. Staggered starting times in a municipality's schools are also common.
The overall duration of school days in Finland is limited to a maximum of six hours.
However, there are some challenges with later starts for the school system's youngest pupils, according to Akvarelli's principal, Pekka Saros.
"We have organised a morning club for first- and second graders, which allows them to arrive at eight o'clock before school starts," he said.
According to Saros, later mornings have offered several advantages to the students. With a later start time, during the darker winter season, students arrive at school more safely after the sun rises.
"Most importantly, pupils are more cheerful when they arrive and are better able to do their schoolwork. The atmosphere is more relaxed," he said.
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