UP until yesterday morning your pal the Skipper hadn’t even heard of a ‘children’s strike’ but all that changed the moment local school children rattled and banged their way through town.

Being the crotchety old sea dog I am, I naturally wondered ‘shouldn’t they be at school?’ but upon closer look it seemed they were right where they should be.

Far from playing hooky, the children who paraded through Falmouth yesterday chanting neat little ditties seemed well informed about what they were doing: taking the government to task for the way it is failing them in school.

With its emphasis on tests and targets, this government is losing sight of the importance of early learning, which should encourage infants to see education as a target, not a chore.

Yesterday’s protesters were out on strike against the SATs tests currently being administered to seven year olds. There is simply no good reason to put children through the stress of exams at that age.

On the other hand, I do wonder if pulling a child out of school for a day without permission is the best way of highlighting this. Strikes normally work by denying labour to a company – what does a kids strike achieve? Apart, perhaps, from educating a child about protest.