Some schools are opening their gates late on Monday morning after England’s World Cup last-16 match against Mexico kicks off at 01:00 BST. Primary and secondary schools in 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.
Hill Avenue Academy in Wolverhampton is among the primary schools opening at 10:00 – meaning pupils will start an hour-and-a-half later than usual. The school also adopted a similar policy for England’s other late night group games. “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. A later start reduces that pressure.” He said he has seen an “influx of emails” from parents welcoming it as a “really lovely idea”.
“Schools open late for England's 01:00 World Cup match; police criticise late pub hours extension.”
Among the parents backing the move is Kelly Wall, who feels the late openings – combined with red, white and blue themed non-uniform days – have benefitted her two young children. “We’ve been able to sit and watch it together as a family,” she said. “We’ve been able to do it because of these late starts.” Wall, 34, works full time and says her mother will manage childcare until her children need to be at school.
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.
Meanwhile, police have criticised the timing of the government’s decision to let pubs stay open until 05:00 on Monday for the same match. The National Police Chiefs’ Council said the “late announcement” meant officers would have to be taken away from other duties and work longer hours, even though the team’s likely route through the tournament “has been known for a considerable time”. The NPCC’s football and alcohol policing leads said in a joint statement: “This is directly linked to alcohol consumption,” referring to increased violent incidents and domestic abuse in previous tournaments. They asked fans to be “considerate” and “drink within sensible limits”.
The government has said a previous relaxing of licensing laws had not covered the eventuality of England playing so late. A Downing Street spokeswoman said that after England’s progression was confirmed on Wednesday evening, the government “announced plans as quickly as possible following this”. Local Government Secretary Steve Reed told broadcasters the previous measures “hadn’t covered the eventuality of England playing so late in the night”, adding it was “one of the fastest changes in the law that we’ve seen”. The hospitality sector welcomed the decision; Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, said: “We all kno…” – the quote cuts off in the source.
Later on Friday, it emerged Fifa is considering changing the time of the match due to forecasts of thunderstorms and heavy rain around the current 01:00 start time. One suggestion is that the England-Mexico face off be brought forward to 19:00 BST on Sunday, six hours ahead of schedule.