Thompson Criticised For Daughter ‘gap Year’ Plans

Education campaigners are urging British actress EMMA THOMPSON to reconsider plans to take her daughter out of school to spend a year travelling the world - because the 10-year-old may never catch up with her studies.

The Oscar-winner wants young Gaia, her daughter with husband Greg Wise, to take an extended vacation when she finishes primary school next year (11) ahead of the start of her secondary education.

Thompson recently revealed, “I’m going to give her a little break from education and show her the world a bit and take a break myself. I just thought it was really good timing between those two schools to have a bit of a break.”

But her plans have sparked outrage among campaigners in her native Britain, who are convinced Gaia will struggle to catch up with her peers if she takes a year out.

Margaret Morrissey, a spokesperson for education campaign group Parents Outloud, tells London’s Evening Standard, “She might see the world and have a fantastic experience, but she’ll miss an awful lot in a year and will be way behind her peers. A child might not ever properly catch up after a break that long.”