Phillipson pushes back on Tuchel's plea to excuse children from school for England's 1am World Cup clash

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has rejected Thomas Tuchel’s suggestion that parents should keep children home from school after England’s last-16 World Cup clash against Mexico, which kicks off at 1am BST on Monday in Mexico City.

Speaking to the Press Association, Phillipson said: “It’s a late game, but children can be in school the next day.” When pressed on whether children could both watch the match and attend school, she added: “Well, I think they can, yes, but it’s for parents to decide how they manage this, and of course, it depends on the age of your children, how they feel. But this is about decisions for individual families.”

The comments come after England head coach Tuchel made a direct appeal to parents following Wednesday’s victory over the Democratic Republic of Congo, which sealed their place in the round of 16. “Write an excuse for school and let them watch football,” the German coach urged. “Come on. 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.”

The pre-dawn kick-off is unusual even by World Cup standards, and is expected to significantly reduce the television audience compared to England’s previous tournament fixtures. While schools and workplaces have routinely accommodated England games during major tournaments, a 1am start presents a different challenge entirely.

Skills minister Baroness Jacqui Smith offered a more cautious view, warning against the impact on learning. “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,” she said. Smith did, however, acknowledge her own intention to watch the match, joking she would be “having a little disco nap in the afternoon” before heading into work the next morning “looking obviously as fresh as a daisy.”

Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, called for a middle ground, suggesting the government should “allow a flexible start on that Monday morning” in recognition of the occasion. “These are such important events in our calendar,” he said.