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PA/Dave Thompson
The headteacher of a school in Northamptonshire is proposing adopting a four-and-a-half-day week to prevent staff "burning out".
Jacqui Johnson wants to close Ashby Fields Primary in Daventry after lunch on a Friday to give teachers more time for preparation and marking.
The plan has received a mixed reaction from parents, with some raising concerns about the financial impact of extra childcare to cover the gap.
A consultation will run until 4 May.
In a letter to parents, Ms Johnson said a "huge workload" meant teachers work an average of 60 hours a week during term time and holidays "to keep up".
She said: "Many teachers, despite their love of frontline teaching, cannot manage this workload and maintain a healthy work/life balance, and subsequently resign."
The early closure would allow teachers "more time out of the classroom to collaborate... and develop the exciting curriculum we want our children to receive," she added.
The letter also said places at an on-site after-school club would be available.
At a public meeting on Wednesday one parent said the idea was "not very well thought through", but another said: "If it is managed well, it should work."
Emma Lennox said her twins start at the school in September and the move would make returning to work difficult.
"Not a lot of places will employ you on school hours, let alone half a day on a Friday or a whole day off on a Friday," she said.
Gordon White, of the National Union of Teachers (NUT), said the union was "generally supportive of any move to reduce workload and the burden on teaching staff".
The Department for Education has been asked for a comment.