Four-day weeks and shorter days will be possible for Queensland students next year under a new flexible school schedule policy.
Public school principals around the state this week received a framework to change their operating hours from 2024 under the updated policy.
Education Minister Grace Grace said it did not mean automatic approval for schools to adopt four-day weeks.
"It's an upgrade to the policy. It is definitely not a green light for a four-day week," she told reporters.
"In fact, schools are expected to operate over the five days per week."
But Ms Grace said four-day weeks were possible under the new policy, particularly in regional and remote areas.
She cited a school in the Darling Downs west of Brisbane as an effective use of the policy after being trialled in 2007.
The school is located in a rural community with only 12 students and has Monday off every fortnight.
"If other schools are looking at things like that, particularly in regional and remote areas, then there's a solid scrutiny or procedure that they have to go through before they get approval," Ms Grace said.
Any proposed change must occur in consultation with the school community and it must also meet curriculum requirements while not disadvantaging students.
A principal or representative taskforce will then oversee a trial and the change must be evaluated before it can be fully implemented.
"They must have a representative taskforce in place to monitor and to see how it's going," Ms Grace said.
Generally, Queensland schools have five hours of classes between 8.30am and 3.30pm Monday to Friday.
Ms Grace said the new policy allowed schools to be more flexible with their operating hours.
The new process will be triggered if schools want to change their start or finishing times by more than 30 minutes.
"There is now a very solid, consistent scrutiny that schools have to go through extensive consultation to be able to implement any changes," Ms Grace said.
The Queensland Secondary Principals Association said the policy provided certainty for schools and the level of consultation required before considering flexible arrangements.
"Any conversation about changing the way the school operates is a focus on improving student outcomes," association president Mark Breckenridge said.
"Any decisions a school makes will be based very strongly on can we meet the needs of the Australian curriculum, and can we make sure we're learning continues as it should be."
Under the new policy, reasons for schools making changes include teacher or resources availability, school community need or student and staff wellbeing and engagement.