School Can Wait, Let Children Stay Up For England Vs Mexico, Tuchel Says – But Starmer Rejects Plea

Sir Keir Starmer has rejected a plea made to parents by England manager Thomas Tuchel to “write an excuse” for school to let children watch England’s early-morning match against Mexico on Monday.

England’s win over the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday confirmed a clash with the co-hosts in Mexico City that will kick off at 1am BST.

In the past it has been common for schools and employers to allow England games in the latter stages of major tournaments to be shown when they clash with working hours, but Monday’s kick-off in the small hours poses a unique challenge for teachers and employers alike.

Shortly after the game, Tuchel said: “Write an excuse for school and let them watch football. There’s so much school to go to, but the World Cup is every four years. Let them watch. There will be a big, big match on in four days and we need the support of everyone, and especially of the children.”

But Sir Keir has disagreed, with his spokesperson saying children “should be in school on Monday”.

He added: "Obviously parents can make their own decisions. We want everyone to enjoy the game but children should be in school on Monday. Parents can make their own mind up but we want everyone to enjoy the game, that includes children. But they should be in school on Monday."

The comments followed skills minister Baroness Jacqui Smith suggesting young people may miss out on important learning by writing excuses to schools.

Speaking to LBC’s Nick Ferrari at Breakfast on Thursday, she said: “I don’t want to be a killjoy here, but I’ll tell you what the biggest killjoy is – young people who then don’t have the learning to be able to go on and do what they need to do in life. I quite understand if people want to watch the match, including young people, I will be.

“I’ll be having a little disco nap in the afternoon and I’ll be celebrating our victory the next morning when I go into work, looking obviously as fresh as a daisy.”

Despite the intervention from politicians, some schools have shown leniency by allowing parents to drop their children off later on Monday.

Castle Hill Primary School in Basingstoke says children can come in at 9.30am, nearly an hour after the usual start time of 8.35am. “We have put this in place so that families can enjoy the World Cup and the children can still get enough sleep to enjoy their learning too,” the school said on its noticeboard for parents.

Greenland, Bloemfontein, and Burnhope primary schools in County Durham said school would open as normal on Monday at 8am, but children could arrive up until 10am. “We’d like to give our families the opportunity to enjoy the occasion without worrying about the school run quite so early,” Bloemfontein Primary School said on social media.

Purwell Primary School in Hitchen, Hertfordshire, also said children could be dropped off until 10.30am. Some schools have said they will screen a full reply of the game at 9am.

Others, however, have told parents that school will be open as usual on Monday. Peter Lee, headteacher at Q3 Academy Langley in Oldbury, West Midlands, said in a video message on social media: “It’s a decision for families whether you let children stay up. Obviously some families have no interest in football whatsoever – that’s another reason why we can’t close – and some rely on us for childcare in the morning.”

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “School leaders are best-placed to make decisions over allowances to recognise the timing of the England versus Mexico match and the likelihood that young people who are enthusiastic England supporters will want to stay up to watch the game.

“What we would hope is that the Department for Education recognises the need to allow schools flexibility over how they respond to this unique situation and does not score an own goal by rigidly insisting that it must be business as normal.”