Saturday morning was dreary until I read about the educational wisdom of John Timpson, the successful cobbler who also cuts keys (”‘Having birthdays off is a no-brainer’”, TES, 27 April).

Considering that the average two-form entry primary would employ 40-plus staff, the annual cost of his idea would be about #163;5,000 of public money - this in the context of shrinking budgets. Imagine the head addressing the staff: “The good news is that you will have paid leave for your birthdays. The bad news is that it will only apply to those not being made redundant.”

Alan Wiggins, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands.