Should School End Early On A Friday?

With so many children already feeling overwhelmed and tired after a full week of school, some are being let out early... but should it be allowed, and what does that mean for the parents?

- Niamh Burns

Sarah Lloyd, 41, runs her own public relations company and lives with her husband Karl and their two daughters, Lucy and Amy.

I’m definitely in favour of schools regularly having half days on Fridays, because I think that this time off would have such a positive effect on the children’s mental health and well-being.

My eldest daughter, Lucy, has started school already and by the end of a very busy week, she is always upset andexhausted, compared to my younger daughter, Amy, who has Wednesdays off from her nursery school.

These days, children are under a lot of pressure at school, which can cause them to feel both stressed and anxious. For example, when Lucy was off from school over the last holidays, she was worried about all the homework that she had to complete over the break and dreaded returning to school at the start of the new term. It was almost like she couldn’t fully detach herself from school, because of how much time she spent there.