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Original poster

EURO 2016 - should children watch Eng vs Wales at school

260 replies

OX3Mum · 13/06/2016 21:05

My football loving kids are distraught that their primary school isn't showing the England vs Wales Euro 2016 match this Thursday at 2pm - apparently for 'technical reasons'. Are any other primary schools showing it /letting kids go home early - or are there going to be loads of kids going home sick this Thursday lunchtime...?

OP posts:
Capricorn76 · 15/06/2016 08:00

I don't think I would be happy with this. Too much attention is paid to football already. It's way over promoted. It's like opium for the masses. If my DDs school planned to do this I'd take the day off work and take her out for the day.

GrimmauldPlace · 15/06/2016 08:07

You'd take time off of work and your daughter out of school for the whole day to stop her from seeing one hour of football?

I find the outrage to this rather amusing.

PerspicaciaTick · 15/06/2016 08:08

I hate the fetishisation of football.

MiaowTheCat · 15/06/2016 08:22

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Capricorn76 · 15/06/2016 08:48

It wouldn't be just 1 hour would it? The game is 1.5hrs excl injury time. The build up and post match analysis. The kids would be distracted all day talking about it. It really would be a wasted day so why not do something we would find more interesting instead? I could understand if it was the final but a group stage game?

Despite what many think not everyone loves football. I despise football culture and the way it's forced down our throats. The guys at work spend ages taking about it.

As someone else said if the school planned to let the kids watch the election results I'd be all for it.

Sparklingbrook · 15/06/2016 08:56

If kick off is 2pm it will be one hour twenty minutes for my DS when they start watching at kick off. If the game runs over due to injury time then it doesn't matter because it's not school time then.

He's looking forward to it, but he's 14 and they manage to focus on lessons all day prior to the match at that age.

SarahAnderson · 15/06/2016 09:20

Agree about the inherent sexism baked in here. Are all these schools also going to show women's England-Wales matches?

imwithspud · 15/06/2016 09:36

I agree that schools should show women's England games if they're going to show the men's. Maybe it would be worth parents or students mentioning it to the school and seeing what they say.

GrimmauldPlace · 15/06/2016 09:39

The Women's Euros isn't until next year. Wales didn't qualify. So we won't know whether the schools would show it or not. If they both qualify in 3 years for the World Cup then you may get your answer. On the extremely low odds that they both qualify and are then both placed in the same group or end up in one of the finals together.

hewl · 15/06/2016 09:41

Dd has a music concert Shock

She's horrified

DrCoconut · 15/06/2016 09:49

As long as there will be no opposition to parents taking their children out of school for the afternoon for cultural and enriching things it may be ok. Schools who do this lose any argument about loss of education time as far as I'm concerned. I'd hate to have been forced to watch football at school but time off for something good would have been ok. Last World Cup my DH's workplace closed for a match day and made everyone take it from their annual leave! That is not on. He wanted to save the time for later. If places close for silly trivialities like this it needs to be without penalty to those who aren't interested!

manicinsomniac · 15/06/2016 09:54

Thanks for the answers to my questions. I can see how it is more important for Welsh people now. Not English though. England play international matches all the time.

I don't see any actual harm in it if the school doesn't have anything important going on that day (like ours having exam week, for example). But I still think it's an unfair bias to football.
This:
(I think it's harmless fun to let them watch it, and tennis finals are always at the weekend so NOT relevant to the argument wink)
is a non argument because we aren't talking about a final. I'd quite like to stop lessons and watch a 3rd round Wimbledon match with a British player in it. That's the equivalent. And would never be allowed to happen.

Also don't agree that it's only an hour at the end of the school day. What school finishes at 3pm?? We finish at 4.45 and, while on that late side, I don't think that's unusual. About 4 is the most common, I'd have said.

GrimmauldPlace · 15/06/2016 09:59

Pretty much every school I've been to and know of finishes between 3-3.20pm. I think 4.45 is very late! What time do they start?

DilysPrice · 15/06/2016 10:06

3 to 3:30 is normal in our area

imwithspud · 15/06/2016 10:08

4:45 is a very late finish. Definitely not the norm around here, schools finish between 3 and 3:30 unless students are at an after school club.

derxa · 15/06/2016 10:14

Are all these schools also going to show women's England-Wales matches? No.

manicinsomniac · 15/06/2016 10:19

We start at 8.30. It's a private school though, that's why the finish is so late. I know 4.45 isn't normal. I just didn't think 3 was normal either. That seems absurdly early. What time are these schools finishing?

My state comprehensive finished at 3.55. My primary finished at 3.30. The state middle I worked in before this private finished at 3.45. I thought those were the norm.

manicinsomniac · 15/06/2016 10:20

The question is supposed to be starting ? Obviously, the schools that finish at 3 are finishing at 3! Grin

Step · 15/06/2016 10:24

Errrrrrr Bloody football had enough of it, hate it. Hate the nationalism, hate the obsessing, hate the non sporting community attacking sportspeople, hate the fact it takes up so much of our national life.

Rant over.

Bloody football - I'd rather sort buttons than watch that nonsense. My kids too (I may be to blame)

imwithspud · 15/06/2016 10:28

The primary I went to finished at 3:25, still does as far as I can tell. My secondary originally finished at 3, then changed it to 3:05. I was most put out by the extra 5 minutes at the timeGrin

3 doesn't seem that early considering they've been in school for 6+ hours previously.

imwithspud · 15/06/2016 10:30

Most schools here start at around 8:30/9 I think.

GrimmauldPlace · 15/06/2016 10:31

8.30-4.45 sounds awful. That's such a long school day

GrimmauldPlace · 15/06/2016 10:32

DS starts at 8.45 and finishes at 3.15

imwithspud · 15/06/2016 10:34

Also taking into account the kids who go to breakfast club/wrap around care which can start as early as 7 in some cases. Very long day for them, especially primary school children.

manicinsomniac · 15/06/2016 10:42

Many don't even go home at 4.45, Fizzy we have optional after school care, prep sessions and extra curricular clubs up until 6 or even 7.30/8.00 at night some days. And some come in at 7.45am for breakfast and/or activities. And we go to school on Saturday mornings. It is a bit hectic.

But, on the plus side (for most, anyway!), they get to do over an hour of sport every day. We also have massive long holidays (about 18 weeks!)