Fathers should be given an hour off work to spend with their sons, says the government.

Stephen Twigg, Minister for Young People and Learning, made the appeal to bosses as he argued the move could boost children's performance at school.

Dads often have a unique bond with their sons and can make a real difference

Stephen Twigg Education Minister

Almost two-thirds of fathers said work commitments were a barrier to them spending time with their children, said Mr Twigg.

The minister was launching the new Dads and Sons Give An Hour scheme, which is being piloted by electrical store chain Comet.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Education and Skills said the campaign's emphasis was on boys as they were more likely to underachieve in class.

September start

"We want to encourage employers to see how an hour can make a difference," she said.

Comet is due to give staff who are fathers an hour off in September to help sons between 11 and 14 with their schoolwork.

The company will then assess how much time to give them in future.

Mr Twigg said: "Dads often have a unique bond with their sons and can make a real difference to what they achieve at school."

Research showed that three out of four fathers wanted to play a bigger part in their son's education, he explained.

"We need to harness this enthusiasm in order to raise the confidence and achievement levels of secondary school age boys," said Mr Twigg, who himself has no children.

Business problems?

More than two-thirds of Comet's staff are male and managing director Rob Cissell said his experience as a father of a young son had convinced him of the benefits of such schemes.

Some business critics may see the government's backing for the scheme as an example of ministers interfering in companies' affairs.

The move did, however, win a cautious welcome from the Institute of Directors (IoD).

An IoD spokesman said: "We support the campaign - most employees are also parents and it seems sensible to have work-life balance.

"But it certainly could be difficult for smaller companies to take part."

Good male role models are seen as particularly important for boys and there have been worries that not enough men are becoming primary school teachers.