Gove wants schools to 
cut holidays

In a speech yesterday, Mr Gove called for longer school days and term times, warning the current system was fit for the agricultural economy of the 19th century and is out of date.

And he warned that pupils are at a “significant handicap” compared with youngsters in east Asian nations who benefit from extra tuition and support from teachers.

Mr Gove added: “If we look at the length of the school day in England, the length of the summer holiday and we compare it to the extra tuition and support children are receiving elsewhere then we are fighting, or running, in this global race in a way which ensures we already start with a significant handicap.”

He said he wanted to see a longer day for pupils, suggesting some schools are already recognising the need for changes, which could be “family friendly”.

He added: “Half term in October, when I was at school in Aberdeen it was called ‘tattie holiday’ because it was the period when children went into the fields to pick potatoes.

“It was also fixed on a world where a majority of mums stayed home. That world no longer exists and we can’t afford to have an education system that was essentially set in the 19th century.”

Teaching unions said some schools had made changes but it was unclear what impact, if any, these would have on standards.