Borough schools to get £1m in bid to combat Covid effects

FUNDS GIVEN ADDITIONALLY TO GOVERNMENT CASH

SCHOOLS in Kensington and Chelsea are being given an extra £1m by the council to help weather the Covid storm.

The council gave schools the extra money to help build back because of coronavirus.

Josh Rendall, who is the lead member for families and children’s services at the council, said the money is in addition to support from central government.

It sees 18 schools in North Kensington, where children had already been affected by Grenfell, getting an extra £33,000.

Last month North Kensington head teachers told the council Covid had really hit their pupils hard.

Sarah Cooper, head of Oxford Gardens

primary school said: “The recent impact of Covid has been incredibly destructive with regards to the progress that our families have made.”

Also, 21 schools in the south of the borough are getting an extra £15,000 to help them get back on track.

Councillor Rendall said given the far-reaching impact of Covid “it’s not all the solution, though I know we’ve done more than other boroughs”.

They are using the extra money for one-to-one tuition, learning resources and extra clubs and activities to help children’s progress after so much time learning at home.

Primaries are also getting £6,000 government funds, with £22,000 for secondaries.

There is also extra money for summer schools to help pupils bridge the gap between moving from primary to secondary school.

The council has also set aside a coronavirus recovery fund aimed at supporting the long-term social and economic and health damage wrought by the pandemic.

Kathleen Williams, head teacher of St Francis of Assisi primary school in North Kensington, said: “In terms of the children’s recovery, it’s really important that the support for them is a really robust one.”

Since schools returned on March 8 they have recorded a 95% attendance rate, which is above the national average.

Sarah Newman, the council’s director of children’s services, said there has been an increase in referrals to emotional and well-being support as pupils return to school this spring.

“As lockdown eases further, we expect to see this upward trend continuing,” she said.