Around the world: the 4-day school week - why more families are looking beyond traditional schooling
by
Crimson Global Academy welcomes families who are looking beyond traditional schooling for global, flexible and efficient learning to advance their children鈥檚 academic potential and extracurricular pursuits. We find out how their innovative 4-day school week supports their approach.
Five years on from the pandemic, an online school that is rapidly growing across Australia celebrates over 2,000 student enrolments globally, with the majority of students across the country and abroad flocking to Crimson Global Academy (CGA) to extend their academics.
CGA鈥檚 school leadership introduced a 4-day school week in Term 1 of 2025, to an overwhelmingly positive response. With many young students choosing to learn with CGA to either accelerate and extend their learning or to fit schooling around their extracurricular commitments, a recent survey of the school鈥檚 teachers, parents and students enrolled in a 4-day school week has shown just how popular the new schooling model is.
"At Crimson Global Academy, we鈥檝e embraced a more dynamic model of learning that reflects the changing demands of our world," says Ronan Kearney, Deputy Principal at CGA.听"Transitioning from a five-day to a four-day academic week has created space not only for academic excellence, but for growth beyond the classroom."
"Students are no longer tied to five days of back-to-back classes. With Fridays now dedicated to holistic development, we鈥檙e seeing learners use this time for internships, community service, and leadership activities. Others take part in CGA-led clubs, excursions, or initiatives that help students develop real-world skills, foster wellbeing, and explore their own sense of purpose."
鈥淭he LIFE programme (Lifelong learning, Interacting with others, Focus outward, Exploration and self-agency) underpins this transformation, integrating personal growth, leadership, and global citizenship across form time, assemblies, and Friday enrichment. From financial literacy and passion projects to physical wellness and service learning, the programme cultivates well-rounded, future-ready individuals."
鈥淭he model is working,鈥� Mr Kearney says, referring to the survey findings which highlighted:
- 89.7% of students reported feeling more focused during lessons.
- 85.9% say they are able to stay on top of their work.
- 88.5% feel productive in achieving their personal learning goals.
- 79.3% of caregivers observed reduced stress levels in their children.
- 84.6% of teachers expressed optimism about the long-term benefits.
"We鈥檙e not just preparing students for exams, we鈥檙e preparing them for life. This model supports
greater autonomy, critical thinking, and the ability to navigate complexity, all essential traits for
success at top universities and in the jobs of the future." explains Ronan.
Faculty at the school have also reported improvements: with a restructured schedule, teachers now have protected time for planning, mentoring, and professional collaboration, a win-win for students and educators alike.
CEO of Crimson Global Academy, Penelope Barton says the school is meeting the demands of students who bring strong interests and abilities to school without wanting to limit themselves to an academic-only focus.
鈥淲e know that CGA appeals to students who need flexible scheduling to accommodate sports, performing arts, entrepreneurship, or other external commitments. These students value CGA鈥檚 global timetable and multi-mode learning where they can join a small live group class, schedule in 1:1 classes with a teacher or learn asynchronously with class recordings to allow them to balance academic and personal pursuits.鈥�
Crimson Global Academy continues to enrol students in record waves, with the fastest growing pool of enrolling students representing academically-focused students wishing to extend and accelerate their learning. Second to this is unhappiness with current schooling and ambitious university admissions goals.
鈥淢any students at CGA are working ahead of their age level or taking a broader subject load than available at their local school. This is contributing to our consistently strong admissions results. In this recent cycle, we saw admission into the Ivy League, Oxford, Cambridge and other top 10-20 universities around the
world,鈥� said听Penelope.
Since classes began in April 2020, a diverse cohort of academically ambitious students from over 70 countries have been flocking to join virtual classes, with a close to even split being between live group classes averaging 10-12 students and one student to one teacher classes.
Students who prefer or require a home learning environment too are thriving now at online schooling with unhappiness at physical schools often related to incidents of bullying and overall mental health and wellbeing challenges.
An online schooling environment can also be beneficial for neurodiverse learners or students managing anxiety.听CGA provides a safe, structured environment for some students with SEND, social anxiety, ADHD, or other learning preferences. Small class sizes, dedicated pastoral care, and full-time counsellor access help support wellbeing alongside academics.
About CGA
was founded by edtech entrepreneur Jamie Beaton, who launched parent company Crimson Education to provide personalised university admissions mentoring and strategy to students with their sights set on top 10 and top 20 ranked universities which can boast a below 4% acceptance rate of its student applicants.
CGA was established in 2020 as part of Crimson Education鈥檚 vision to transform global education through technology by offering high-quality, flexible, and internationally recognised online learning to students aged 8鈥�18 worldwide.
鈥淲hat is setting CGA students apart as they embark on their continued studies is their internationally recognised curriculum, evidence of leading high impact initiatives and across a global community, and their saved time to pursue excellence across extracurriculars such as sports competitions, classical music performance and olympiads at the highest level,鈥� Barton said.
Current CGA students include a world champion in fencing, a Juilliard music scholar, and a grand chess master.
Students interested in applying to top universities in the UK, US, Australia, or elsewhere enrol in CGA to access the International GCSE, International A Level, AP, or US High School Diploma pathways, all delivered online by subject experts.
CGA is an online-first school, but it operates study hubs and local support services in several cities including: Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne, Tokyo, Dubai, and Shanghai. Staff are primarily remote, but CGA benefits from the broader Crimson Education infrastructure, which includes Crimson-owned offices and partnerships used for study hubs, events, and meet-ups.
听