A NUMBER of schools have told parents to let children come to school later on Monday ­— so they can watch England in the Euro 2020 final.

Coates Lane Primary School, Barnoldswick; Wensley Fold School CE Primary School, Blackburn; St John’s Church of England Primary School, Great Harwood, St Thomas' C of E Primary School, Blackburn; Avondale Primary School, Darwen; St Charles R.C. Primary School, Rishton; Brunshaw Primary School, Burnley; Saint Mary’s RC Primary School, Oswaldtwistle; St Oswald's R.C. Primary and Nursery School, Accrington; and Gisburn Road School in Barnoldswick have all decided to allow pupils to come to school at 10.30am on Monday to ensure the children are better rested if they have stayed up late to watch the match.

The idea was created by Rossmere Primary School in Hartlepool, and schools up and down the country have decided to do the same.

Headteacher of Coates Lane, Sarah White said: “After seeing another school post about it, we decided to do the same for our pupils.

“On Thursday this week, we had a lot of children arriving to school late or very tired after watching the semi-finals so we thought we would join the celebrations and give our community the opportunity to arrive later to school on Monday ­— if they want to.”

Sunday's match with Italy, which kicks off at 8pm, will mark the first final played by the England men’s team in 55 years - since the World Cup final of 1966 when England beat West Germany 4-2.

The post, which has been shared by a number of schools, reads: “If your child is a football fan and likely to be staying up until after 11pm on Sunday to watch the final, then let them stay in bed a bit longer and get to school by 10.30am on Monday.

“We would rather have children rested and in school ready to learn rather than absent all day or grumpy!

“School will still start at 8.45am but children arriving up to 10.30am won’t be marked as late, and they won’t miss any ‘lessons’.

“It’s 55 years since the men’s England football team reached a major football final so we’ve said let them watch and talk about it...talk about pride and resilience and possible disappointment.

“This is a learning opportunity.”