PUPILS at a school in Hampshire will now not be allowed to leave early to watch England in action during the European Championships after education chiefs backtracked on their decision.

As reported by the Daily EchoDaily Echo yesterday, students at Oasis Academy Lord’s Hill in Southampton were set to be allowed to leave at 12.40pm next Thursday to watch England take on Wales.

But the move was criticised, with school leaders attacked for “hypocrisy” for allowing children out of school at a time when parents are being taken to court over term-time holidays.

Youngsters would have missed two lessons at the Romsey Road school in order to watch the Group B match in Lens.

In the past, parents of students at the school have been fined by Southampton City Council for unauthorised absences.

Jon Platt, who recently won a High Court ruling after he had been fined for taking his children out of school on the Isle of Wight, criticised the decision.

While he said it was a “wonderful idea” to allow children to watch the match, it was “completely hypocritical to fine parents for taking time off for quality time with their families and making them feel like the devil incarnate”.

Inquiries by the Daily Echo did not find any other school in Southampton that was giving pupils the opportunity to go home and watch the match.

Now the school’s head teacher has confirmed that students will now not be allowed out early to watch the match, although the school will show it during the last hour of the school day.

In a statement, Ian Golding said: “At Oasis Academy Lord’s Hill we take student attendance extremely seriously.

“For our students to make the excellent academic progress that we expect, it is crucial that they are in their classes every school day, promptly and ready to learn.

“National sporting events are a cause for celebration and enjoyment, and something which are infrequently suitable for students to experience during school time.

“Following a decision earlier this week to allow students to leave school early next Thursday in anticipation that many of them would want to watch England’s match against Wales, and on reflection of the concerns of this use of school time that have been raised, I have decided that it is more appropriate for our students to remain in school.

“As a community in which many of my students have a real passion for football, I will be facilitating the showing of the game during the last hour of school time for those who wish to watch it so that they too can experience it together.”