The Instruction Time in Europe – 2024/25 report, published by the Eurydice network in collaboration with the OECD, provides a detailed overview of the time allocated to compulsory education across European education systems. The document examines both primary and secondary education, including subject distribution and curricular flexibility.
Key findings include:
- Spain ranks among the countries with the highest number of instruction hours in primary education, with a total of 875 hours per year, above the European average.
- Language and mathematics are the subjects with the highest time allocation, although there is significant variability between countries.
- The report also explores curricular flexibility, distinguishing between horizontal flexibility (choice of subjects) and vertical flexibility (adjustment of time per subject), with Spain showing a relatively rigid structure.
- Comparative diagrams of different European education models are presented, such as HAVO, VMBO, and VWO in the Netherlands, or Gymnasium and Realschule in Germany, helping to better understand school pathways.
This report is a key resource for researchers, policymakers, and education professionals working to improve educational quality and equity. At CRiEDO, we welcome the publication of this resource, which contributes to reflection on time as a pedagogical factor and its relationship with learning outcomes.
You can access the full document here.
