YP Comment: Should rural pupils have day off?

SHOULD children be given a day off school to attend the Great Yorkshire Show?

Event organisers think so – they intend to highlight the Show’s educational benefits this July and the importance of nurturing a new generation of farmers and food producers to sustain Yorkshire’s agricultural industry.

Conversely there will be parents, and others, who believe the GYS is a predominantly commercial event, with its avenues of trade stands, even though it’s important that people of all ages understand the provenance of food.

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Given that the Supreme Court ruled against term-time absences last week in a landmark case which effectively said that lessons must come first, this is one instance where schools should, perhaps, give discretion to farming families who want to take their children to Harrogate to show cattle and so on. For them, farming is a way of life and teachers should respect the specific circumstances of those concerned.