Hartlepool school offers pupils 10.30am Monday start to recover from Euro 2020 final

Rossmere Primary School, in the town’s Catcote Road, has said children do not have to be in school until 10.30am so they can be rested and “ready to learn, rather than absent all day or grumpy”.

With the England versus Italy final beginning at 8pm, the possibility of extra-time, penalties and a delayed trophy presentation means TV coverage may continue beyond 11pm.

The school said posted on its official Facebook page: "If your child is a football fan and likely to be staying up until after 11pm on Sunday to watch the final, then let them stay in bed a bit longer and get to school by 10.30am on Monday.

"We would rather have children rested and in school ready to learn rather than absent all day or grumpy!

“School will still start at 8.40 but children arriving up to 10.30 won’t be marked as late, and they won’t miss any lessons.

“It’s 55 years since England reached a major football final so let them watch, talk about the importance of the National Anthem, talk about pride and resilience and possibly disappointment. This is a learning opportunity.”

At the time of writing, the post had attracted more than 3,000 comments and over 39,000 shares.

Following the stunning reaction, the school added: “We are not encouraging children to stay off school - quite the opposite.

"With a number of parents being allowed time off work on the Monday, we didn’t want to see children taking the whole day off because they were tired.

"Allowing some to come in later means that they will be ready for learning when they arrive. Swapping the timetable round means they won’t miss learning.”

It added: “All children have had their education and life experiences damaged for the last 16 months.

"The job of schools is to give children the best experiences possible, which will help in their education.

"This is an event of national pride and is such an important teaching point that we want children to be part of that.”

Victory on Sunday would give England their first major trophy for 55 years.

Support your Mail and become a subscriber today. Enjoy unlimited access to all of our news and sport, see fewer ads, experience faster load times, test your brain with daily puzzles and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. The Hartlepool Mail has been in town since 1877, and your support means we can continue telling your stories for generations to come. Click here to subscribe.