The schools starting late after 01:00 England game to 'reduce pressure' for parents

Image source, Kelly Wall Image caption, Kelly Wall is valuing spending family time with her children during the World Cup By Ewan Somerville  and  Emily Holt Published 2 minutes ago 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". Image source, Hill Avenue Academy Image caption, Daniel Steventon has brought in late starts after all of England's late night games so far 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 , external the day after England's evening group stage matches. But the late starts have proven controversial among some parents, who have taken to social