A group planning to tie a Michael Gove effigy to the gates of Sir George Monoux College have hit out at the Education Secretary’s suggestions of lengthening the school day.

Members of Socialist Students will turn the tables on the MP by tying his effigy to the college gates to ‘see how he likes being chained to school’ at 1230pm on Wednesday.

Students held a ballot to determine the sentiment surrounding Mr Gove’s plans to cut school holidays and lengthen the school day – the poll found unsurprisingly that 99 per cent of pupils opposed holiday cuts while 88 per cent opposed lengthening daily school hours.

But London organiser of Socialist Students Suzanne Beishon, of Forest Road, Leyton, said it was the more intangible measure of anger which more accurately reflected how students felt.

She said: “They want to remove being a kid from young people’s lives.

“College doesn’t just finish when you leave, there’s coursework and homework and students feel the suggestion of having longer school hours is out of touch with reality.”

When asked whether it was possible that keeping students in school longer would better prepare them for adult life and the working world she said youth unemployment was high enough to negate that argument.

She said: “There aren’t enough jobs out there for young people, so young people can’t get jobs and keeping them in college longer won’t help that.”

Secretary of State Michael Gove said: "It’s already the case that some of the best schools in the country recognise the need to change the structure of the school term.

"It’s also the case that some of the best schools in the country recognise that we need to have a longer school day as well. 

He added that he thought any changes would be family friendly.