Court backs Kõrveküla school’s 8 a.m. start

Tartu Administrative Court has rejected a complaint by 18 parents challenging Kõrveküla Basic School’s decision to start classes at 8 a.m., ERR reports. The court said school start times should reflect the circumstances of the school and its region, including transport options.

Government rules state that classes should generally begin at 9 a.m. or later. Schools may make an exception and start earlier, but not before 8 a.m. Kõrveküla Basic School has started lessons at 8 a.m. in previous years and continued that schedule this school year.

The parents argued that an earlier start could prevent pupils from getting enough sleep and harm their wellbeing and mental health. They said there were no grounds for an exception and that the school had prioritised transport arrangements and budget considerations.

The court said the circumstances must be assessed for each school and region, taking into account factors such as transport, settlement patterns, school size, distance from a larger centre and local infrastructure. For Kõrveküla, it said the interests of pupils living both nearby and farther away, as well as families’ differing transport options, had to be considered.

The court also noted that starting later would push the end of the school day back, potentially limiting pupils’ opportunities to take part in extracurricular activities and leaving them less time for family, friends, homework and rest. It found that the school had considered pupils’ mental health, adding that this is affected not only by sleep but also by the structure of the school day and family routines.

The court said an earlier start was justified by the need to provide school transport for pupils travelling from farther away and ensure equal access to education, while avoiding unreasonable and costly duplication of public transport routes. It also cited the need to use municipal funds efficiently. The ruling is not yet final.