Private schools offer state pupils summer catch-up sessions

PRIVATE schools have offered to run summer catch-up courses for local children, as they accuse ministers of “ignoring” their offers to assist.

Christopher King, chief executive of the Independent Association of Prep Schools, has written to the Education Secretary to express his “frustration” at the Government’s “reluctance to accept help” from fee-paying institutions.

In the letter, seen by The Sunday

Telegraph, he said that members of his association were prepared to open up their buildings in July and August to run summer courses for children in their local community.

Mr King said private schools could make a “significant difference” to the education of children in their local community by helping them get up to speed over the holidays, and it would come at a minimal or no cost to parents.

The offer from independent schools comes amid rising concern about the plight of children and fears that a decade of progress in narrowing the attainment gap is in danger of being reversed. Research shows that more than two million children have done virtually no schoolwork during lockdown.

“In such circumstances, it is disappointing that the independent school sector’s offer of assistance has been ignored,” Mr King said in his letter.

He added that private school heads were “only too willing” to lend their expertise as well as resources to the state education sector.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “Our £1billion Covid catchup package will directly tackle the impact of lost teaching time as a result of the pandemic, which head teachers and school leaders have the flexibility to decide how to spend. Some may use this funding to provide summer school activities for their pupils.”