Pupils could face longer school days
EDUCATION Secretary Gavin Williamson has not ruled out lengthening school days or shortening summer breaks to help pupils in England catch up from coronavirus disruption.
Ministers yesterday announced an extra £400 million of funding and asked secondaries to deliver some summer teaching to counteract the months of classroom closures.
With all pupils in England set to return on March 8 in the first easing of the lockdown, the programme includes a one-off £302 million “Recovery Premium” for primary and secondary schools to support disadvantaged pupils.
It could include running additional clubs and activities in the summer, or opting for evidence-based approaches to help children from September.
A further £200 million will be available to secondary schools to deliver face-to-face summer schools.
Mr Williamson defended the level of expenditure after Labour and a teaching union said it was inadequate for the scale of the task ahead.
He said the funding was just the “immediate
response” and that newly-appointed education recovery commissioner Sir Kevan Collins will investigate more extensive measures.
Pressed on whether extending the school day could be among the measures, the Education Secretary told Sky News: “He’ll be looking at how we can boost and support children in a whole range of different manners. But it’s not just about time in school, it’s about supporting teachers in terms of the quality of teaching and how we can help them.”
Mr Williamson told BBC Breakfast that “in the next few days” ministers will outline the “more granular detail” of how students will be assessed this year in the absence of exams.
The recovery package, which comes on top of the £300 million pledged in January, stopped short of mentioning the proposals to extend school days and shorter summer holidays. Both were previously described as “policy gimmicks” by the Association of School and College Leaders.
Summer provision will come in for pupils who need it the most, such as incoming Year 7 pupils, while one-to-one and small group tutoring schemes will be expanded.
Some £200 million will fund an expansion of existing tuition programmes for students – including the National Tutoring Programme – as well as funding additional language support for pre-school children.
Boris Johnson said “our next priority will be ensuring no child is left behind as a result of the learning they have lost”.
“This extensive programme of catch-up funding will equip teachers with the tools and resources they need to support their pupils, and give children the opportunities they deserve to learn and fulfil their potential,” he added.
AS we approach a full year of living under restrictions, a talk is to examining the fallout of the pandemic on our personal lives.
Sexless and the City is to be the first in a new series of Science Speakeasy debates taking place on Zoom.
Following so many months of restrictions, lockdowns and being unable to hug friends and family, the free talk – being hosted by Life Science Centre in Newcastle – will post the question: what’s the damage of being denied human touch?
It will examine the physical and emotional effects of social distancing and going so long with limited – or no – human touch and it will discuss the importance of skinto-skin contact.
The virtual audience will get a chance to ask the questions and steer the debate but topics are set to include issues such as whether being denied – or limited – physical contact
might be an infringement of our human rights and if there can be anything to fill this gap left in people’s lives.
It will also question whether we are getting better at communicating our feelings when we are unable to demonstrate them.
Sexless and the City is aimed at adults and will take place on March 11 from 8pm to 9.15pm.
As a cocktail bar is usually in operation at events hosted by Life in normal times, it is encouraging it is virtual visitors to replicate the experience by relaxing with a drink while they tune in.
Capacity for the talk is limited and places will be available on a first-come, firstserved basis. For those not on Zoom there is an option of a phone dial-in, which will be explained after people register at life.org.uk.