Full-time pupils

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All school children should spend 10 hours a day at school, education secretary Michael Gove said yesterday.

He believes the proposal would help state schools to close the gap with private institutions.

“When you visit a school in England, standards are so high all round that you should not be able to tell whether it is in the state sector or a fee-paying independent”, Mr Gove declared.

Plans were unveiled after senior Conservatives said they were looking at plans for a nine-hour school day.

However, Mr Gove went further and called for a ten-hour school day, bringing in more “character building” activities such as cadet training, coding clubs, Duke of Edinburgh award scheme and inspirational career talks from outside visitors.

Private schools have always excelled at extra-curricular activities and public institutions should do the same.

The new schedule will also allow time for structured homework sessions, which will be tremendously useful for those children who struggle to work in noisy households.

Michael Gove will vow to give schools the resources needed to make the plan work.

Labour’s shadow education secretary Tristam Hunt argued against the proposal, suggesting that “improving school standards starts with a qualified teacher in every classroom.”

Meanwhile, the education secretary received further criticism over his decision not to reappoint Labour peer Sally Morgan as head of Ofsted.

Ms Morgan told the BBC she was the victim of a “determined effort from Number 10 to appoint more Tories.”

Conservative donor Theodore Agnew is believed to be her successor.