Abstract:

The shift of after-school services from custodial care to student development depends on a student-centered orientation and on improving the purposefulness, organization, and support of students’ time outside regular classes. The French “Wednesday phenomenon” is a form of extracurricular activity organization shaped by adjustments to school schedules, the development of local educational cooperation, and the implementation of the “Wednesday Plan” (Plan Mercredi). In many regions of France that adopt a four-day school week, Wednesday has become an important period for preschool and primary school students to participate in leisure-oriented extracurricular educational activities. Local education systems ensure standardized operation through coordination by local authorities, multi-stakeholder collaboration, quality charter requirements, and institutional safeguards. Although this arrangement differs from after-school services in China, both involve students’ time outside regular classes, the integration of in-school and out-of-school resources, and service quality assurance. Drawing on the French experience, China should clarify the goals of after-school services according to students’ developmental needs, improve the service system through multi-stakeholder collaboration, enrich service content by linking classroom learning with extracurricular activities, and strengthen the support base for the shift toward student development through funding, quality regulation, and staff training.

Key words: after-school services, Wednesday phenomenon, extracurricular activities, educational function, France