Later start to school day ''has positive impact on students''
06/07/2010
Delaying the start of the school day by just half an hour can have a positive impact on students, a new study suggests.
The findings, which appear in this month''s Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, show this change would also have knock-on effects to other aspects of school life.
For example, students who were given an extra hour in bed were found to be in better moods, more punctual and inclined to eat healthier breakfasts.
Researchers at St George''s School in Rhode Island also discovered that students are more effective at learning after a decent night''s sleep.
Patricia Moss, an academic dean at the school, said: "The results were stunning. There''s no other word to use.
"We didn''t think we''d get that much bang for the buck."
This follows recent research from Boston VA Healthcare System and Harvard Medical School, which showed that sleep is essential for restoring energy to the brain.
Posted by Elizabeth Mewes
