This week: Lie-ins for teenagers?

If someone says... “Am I right that there’s actually a petition going around to start the school day later?”

You say... “Yep! No surprise that it was started by a teenager, who suggested schools begin at 10am because ‘pupils are too tired’ (they should try being teacher-tired). But it’s received more than 180,000 signatures and has support from MPs, too.”

If someone says... “Really, the government is taking this seriously?”

You say... “Well...as the petition reached 100,000 signatures, Parliament was obliged to hold a debate. One MP, Daniel Zeichner, quoted a parent as saying: ‘Having to wake five teens at 6.30 every day is like trying to raise the dead.’ Tell us something we don’t know, Dan.”

If someone says... “But then the school day would finish later, which would lead to later nights for us teachers, wouldn’t it?”

You say... “I wouldn’t change your alarm clock just yet. All schools have autonomy over timetables and the duration of their school day, and what head would want to spark a staffroom uproar over this?”