A SWINDON boxing coach has hit out at Government plans to axe the six-week school summer holidays.

Paddy Fitzpatrick owns Fitzpatrick’s Boxing Gym in Ferndale Road, which trains people aged from eight to adult.

He spoke out as children begin what could be their last traditional long summer holiday if the Government has its way.

A new bill gives headteachers the right to set their own term dates, and some in other parts of the country have already announced plans to shave two weeks from the long break.

Mr Fitzpatrick, 44, believes this could hamper young people’s chances to develop as fully rounded human beings.

He explained: “My main job as a boxing coach is to teach boxing – and boxing is one aspect of my students’ lives.

“If a student spent 100 per cent of their time training as a boxer with me, they would be a complete boxer but they would be falling apart in other aspects of their lives because they spent no time developing and improving them.

“They would be great at one thing, but what about being a better mother, father, sister or brother?

“If you have students having 33 per cent of their summer holidays taken away and spending longer hours in school, then when does education become indoctrination?

“When are they getting time to grow as children? We’re supposed to be raising children to be good adults. We’re supposed to be giving them a start in the right direction.

“But don’t forget that they are children and they’re supposed to live the life of children.

“We’re supposed to be teaching them respect for others and respect for themselves, and teaching them how to function as adults.”

Mr Fitzpatrick added that the rule change would be a potential nightmare for parents with children at different schools with different term times when it came to arranging holidays during such a short period.

“When is a family supposed now to have their summer holidays together? Mostly both parents work, so both parents will have to try to get off a week’s holiday together, but what if one of the children is on holiday and the other is at school?

“Parents need to write to their MPs and say something about this, and get something done.”