Busy times for the new Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families. Having recently emphasised “the importance of play” (who knew?), Ed Balls now moves on to campaign against embarrassing school gym kits.
“If the kit is awful,” he has explained, “it is much more likely the kids will forget to bring it in.” Fair point. Bad kit is an indirect health threat. Four laps of a wet playground on a dull Thursday afternoon sounds pretty unappealing if all you’re packing in your gym bag is a pair of Trutex navy shorts and an overwashed Tesco T-shirt. But in a government-approved, grey muscle-shirt by Diesel and winter-camo combats from Fat Face, that wet playground is your catwalk and four laps may not be enough.