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Ah, summer holidays... a never-ending golden age of football in the park, hours on the beach, tree-climbing, days out... or so it seemed to me. Yet a story from the BBC states that children in England and Wales are the unluckiest in Europe when it comes to time off from school. What's more, many of those countries (eg Sweden, Finland) which are more generous in the extended breaks that they allow children to have are considered to have some of the most effective education systems in the world. (Personally I'd like to see this less=more idea applied to the workplace - bring back the 3 day week!)

To compound the agony for English children, a report published last week by the 4Children charity has warned that thousands of teenagers are left to hang around streets during the summer because there are no alternatives on offer for them. The Make Space Youth Review can be read in full online, although a summary of the main recommendations is also available.