A primary school is to give pupils Friday afternoons off as they say that children "lack focus" by the end of the week.

From September, Neyland Community School in Pembrokeshire, west Wales will close its gates at 12.15pm rather than 3.20pm on Fridays.

The move is not a way to “give teachers an afternoon off” nor is it a money-saving mechanism, the school said.

Instead, they argue that Friday afternoon lessons are pointless since youngsters lack "attention and focus" to learn after a full week of classes.

The school claims that the move will improve children’s education, as well as enable families to spend more quality time together.

In a letter to parents, the school said that it is implementing the change after finding that on Friday afternoons "pupils often suffer from a greater lack of attention/ focus than at other times in the week".

The school hopes the early finish will "further raise standards and improve outcomes for learners across the school".

The move was greeted with a mixed response from parents, with one mother saying: “It is a really good idea - I know that by Friday afternoon the kids are burnt out and don't take anything in."

Meanwhile, another pupil’s father said: "This is ridiculous. Both my wife and I work so this will mean one of us having to take Fridays off too to look after our kids."