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Sam Womack: Schools are ‘too militant’

Sam Womack took her daughter out of school because they are "too militant" nowadays.
The former ‘EastEnders’ actress home schools 14-year-old Lily because she was left feeling "quite cross" that parents cannot take their children out of school during term time, and she insists travelling the world can be "just as important" as learning algebra at times.
The 46-year-old star – who also has son Ben, 18, with husband Mark Womack – said: "I’ve taken Lily out of school. It got me quite cross that you can’t take your kids out of school for holidays and things. I just think that’s too militant.
"Children are creative little human beings and sometimes travelling to other countries for families that couldn’t afford to travel any other way is just as important as algebra.
"We tend to go towards the academic learning but …"
When asked how teachers are supposed to organise their classrooms if different pupils are on holiday at different times, Sam claimed: "What difference would it make to a classroom?
"Surely most of the state schools are over-subscribed anyway and half the children aren’t getting attention because the 30/32 kids per one teacher. Doesn’t it make it easier for the teacher if there is two less kids?
"If you were off with a bug for two weeks no one would be stressing out that they’d missed algebra for two weeks would they?"
Sam is currently starring in the stage production of ‘The Girl on the Train’, in which she plays alcoholic Rachel Watson, and she has been branded "bladder of steel" after chugging two litres of water during the play.
She said: "I’m going to wear that [saying] on the back of a sweatshirt now. I sink about two litres of water throughout the play, and I don’t go off-stage until the interval.
"And then I’m just in the toilet the whole time."
Sam admits her former ‘EastEnders’ co-star Steve McFadden (Phil Mitchell) is the best person she’s seen at portraying a drunk character.
Speaking on ‘This Morning’, she added: "He’ll be off set one minute talking about what you had for lunch, and then you literally just … I don’t know how he does it.
"His eyes go glassy. He’s one of the best drunk actors I’ve seen."