Schools Consider Late Openings After England's World Cup Match

Some schools say they are planning to open their gates late on Monday morning after England play Mexico in last 16 of the the World Cup, a match which kicks off at 01:00 BST.

Primary and secondary schools in areas including London, Salford, the Midlands and County Durham have told the BBC they are moving openings to around 10:00 - with headteachers arguing it will put parents under less pressure.

The match could wrap up as late as 04:00 if it goes to penalties.

England manager Thomas Tuchel has called on schools to afford flexibility for those wanting to stay up late, saying "let them watch," but the government says children should still be in school on Monday.

Hill Avenue Academy in Wolverhampton is among the primary schools opening at 10:00 - meaning pupils will start the day an hour-and-a-half later than usual.

The school also adopted a similar policy for England's other late night games in the group stages of the World Cup.

"Why wouldn't we want our children to be passionate about supporting their country during the World Cup?" said headteacher Daniel Steventon.

"We have told the parents - enjoy the game, as we recognise that a late-night match could leave parents and children tired, making the usual school morning stressful," he said.

"A later start reduces that pressure."

He feels the later start is demonstrating "understanding and flexibility", and has seen an "influx of emails" from emails welcoming it as a "really lovely idea".

Among the parents welcoming the move is Kelly Wall, who feels the school's late openings for all of England's late-night matches so far, as well as red, white and blue themed non-uniform days, has had a noticeable difference on her two young children.

"We've been able to sit and watch it together as a family," she says. "We've been able to do it because of these late starts."

"We're not a sporty family but because there's such a buzz and a hype around it at school, my little boy has been coming home saying 'can we watch the football'... he's brought into the house," Wall, 34, who works full time, says.

"I'm like 'yes, we can watch the football' and there's less pressure then to get them to school for the 8.20am opening.

"We don't want late marks and we don't want absences - he struggles if he's tired and going into school, so it's been really nice for us."

She'll need to go to work in the morning and her mother will manage the childcare until her children need to be at school.

Castle Hill Primary School in Basingstoke also reportedly opened late , externalthe day after England's evening group stage matches.

But the late starts have proven controversial among some parents, who have taken to social media to condemn the idea.

One wrote on X that they would allow the kids to watch the match live, but expected them to be ready for school the next morning.

"What's the big deal? The recent thunderstorms woke them up at 2am and kept them awake for hours and they were fine the next day going to school," the parent added.

England will drop out of the World Cup if they lose the match, but many are hopeful of something like the team's last-gasp win against the Democratic Republic of Congo last week - or maybe, if it's not too much to ask, a less nail-biting victory.

Another school set to answer Tuchel's call for leniency is Annfield Plain Infant School in Stanley, Co Durham, which said its register would stay open an hour later until 10:00 on Monday.

"Mr Tuchel gave us a call to make an attendance request for Monday 6th July," the school joked. "He then put big Harry Kane on the phone, we couldn't say no... It's coming home!"

The government appears to be less clear-cut on the issue. While Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is allowing pubs in England to stay open until 05:00 for the match, education secretary Bridget Phillipson has not explicitly backed late school openings.

She says she is "not going to seek to control what schools are doing" but that it is "important" for pupils to be in school on Monday.

"It's a late game, but children can be in school the next day," she added.

And Alistair Wilson, deputy headteacher at Whipton Barton Federation primary school in Exeter, Devon, will be opening at normal time but running a non-uniform day and showing match highlights in classrooms after breakfast with football-themed activities.

"It'll be a wonderful way to celebrate the day, World Cup fever has definitely hit them," Wilson says.

Even among the schools opening late, teachers are still advising pupils to get some sleep.

Oaks Park High School, a secondary in Carshalton, south London, which is opening at 09:45, told parents in a letter that it's "strongly" encouraged students get some sleep before the game to avoid being "extremely tired".

Some on social media, including teacher and podcaster Lee Parkinson, have called for some "common sense" leniency on attendance figures on Monday.

Others point out many schools across the country already shuttered for multiple days during last week's heatwave, bringing disruption to learning.

Back in Wolverhampton, Kelly Wall has noticed a lot of positive chatter at the school gates.

She says she can understand the point of view of any naysayers, but adds: "It's so rare that we get to have these special moments with he kids, because our lives are always so busy.

"Really, let the children join in, watch the game and let them have a bit of family time."