Smith warned that students would miss critical classroom learning if parents followed the coach's advice.
"I don’t want to be a killjoy, but I’ll tell you what the biggest killjoy is – young people who don’t have the learning to be able to go on and do what they need to do in life," Smith said.
She explained her personal strategy: "I quite understand if people want to watch the match, including young people – I will be.
I’ll be having a little disco nap in the afternoon and I’ll be celebrating our victory the next morning when I go into work, looking obviously as fresh as a daisy."
The scheduling conflict has caused measurable shifts in logistics, with the babysitting app Bubble recording a 50 percent increase in Monday morning bookings as parents alter plans.
Public campaigns for an emergency bank holiday on Monday were dismissed by local government officials, who cited established holiday patterns.
"Backing the England team all the way … the current pattern of bank and public holidays is well established," a spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said.
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Starmer previously hinted that an extra bank holiday could take place on July 20 if England wins the tournament, a date that coincides with the expected leadership transition for Andy Burnham.
