Ølgod Efterskole has begun letting its students sleep later on Tuesday mornings. The boarding school says the extra rest helps pupils stay alert through the rest of the week.
DR reported on August 23, 2026 that Ølgod Efterskole has adjusted its weekly schedule. Students at the school in Ølgod in Jutland now get one morning a week without the alarm clock.
Headmaster Martin Bruun Kristensen told DR that Tuesday was chosen deliberately. By then the weekend has been absorbed, and there is a long stretch until the next break. According to him, the school’s experience is that young people need refueling to stay fresh later in the week.
DR presents the change as an example of how schools and workplaces can take greater account of different circadian rhythms. Camilla Kring, a civil engineer and PhD in applied chronobiology, calls the initiative enormously positive. Per DR, she says teenagers are biologically disposed to later bedtimes and later wake-ups.
The 8-16 society
Kring describes teenagers as late chronotypes, known in Danish as B-mennesker. She told DR that chronotype is biological and not a question of willpower or better habits. On her own website, last updated in 2025, she links circadian rhythm to health and performance.
According to Kring, Denmark’s time architecture dates back to agricultural and industrial society. She argues that fixed start times, from nurseries and schools to workplaces, mainly support morning people. She questions why the 8-16 model is still treated as the only correct one.
She says the solution does not have to be comprehensive. Flexible start times, more influence over shift planning, and fewer prejudices about late starts can make a difference, as stated by Kring to DR. She adds that productivity can be gained when people work in step with their inner clock.
Similar measures have been discussed elsewhere. The Efterskolerne association published guidance in 2021 in which Chris MacDonald recommended later bedtimes and later mornings for students, noting that 14 to 17 year olds need eight to 10 hours of sleep. TV2 Kosmopol has reported that several schools around Copenhagen pushed back morning start times for older pupils in recent school years.
Outside Denmark, the Norwegian outlet VG reported in 2023 that schools in Oslo allow older students to start later. A local education official described teenagers at that stage of life as biological B-mennesker.
For Kring, the discussion is not only about start times. She told DR that conversations with employers can build understanding for people who function differently from the norm. That way, fewer people end up feeling lazy or wrong because they do not perform best at seven in the morning.
DR appears to be the only outlet so far to report on the Tuesday change at the efterskole. The school’s own information pages confirm its location and leadership, but carry no formal notice about the new schedule.
