Lancashire parents say cooking and ironing should be taught in schools but over-worked teachers disagree

Teachers in Lancashire say that learning how to use a washing machine or cook a meal should not be down to them.

"We can’t expect schools to teach kids everything," said Anne Marie Stephens, from Blackpool. "As a teacher I understand the limitations they have of teaching core curriculum, there isn’t enough time or resources for the other things. Some responsibility is with the parents."

Others think that teachers are being overloaded with work they are 'not being paid for'. Heather Playle added: "Many of them are half teacher, half social worker. Parents need to step up." Yvonne Christine Hartlebury, a teaching assistant with Lancashire County Council, said: "We are happy to do this if you can get the government to take their foot off the accelerator. The pressure for schools to provide education for a whole spectrum of abilities is immense, based on a very academic focused, private school model."

Meanwhile, some argue that not all youngsters have the opportunity to learn these life-skills at home. Some parents lack these skills themselves, and others work long hours with no time to spend with their kids. Emma Hodgkinson said: "I work with 20 and 30 year olds and some can’t even iron clothes never mind cook anything."

Thomas Cook remembers being taught how to cross stitch in home economics, but '[wishes he'd] been taught to cook properly'.

Another Lancashire resident says basic homemaking and budgeting classes 'would be nice, especially for the less fortunate who don’t always have a nice home to go to." Nikki Timmins taught herself how to look after her home as an adult, as she didn't learn as a youngster. She said: "My parents let me play out and be a kid… they weren’t being bad parents but they didn’t teach me life skills. I have taught myself but certainly feel it would of been beneficial for me to have learnt these skills at a younger age."