Hundreds of Brighton schoolchildren will welcome the news that their long summer holiday is to be extended a few days.

But it's not such good news for staff at the secondary schools involved or for their parents.

The problems at schools such as Varndean, Patcham High and East Sussex College of Media Arts is that builders undertaking work have taken longer than expected.

Even though they were on tight timetables, they really ought to have finished by now.

Schools face their most difficult time at the start of September when the new academic year begins.

It is unacceptable that schools should be thrown into chaos now.