£1 billion catch up plan for lost teaching time

THE GOVERNMENT has dedicated £1 billion to help children catch up on lost teaching time during the coronavirus pandemic.

On Friday, June 19 the Department for Education announced that children across England will benefit from £650 million — which will be shared across state primary and secondary schools over the 2020/21 academic year. Although head teachers will decide how the money is spent, the Government expects this to be used for small group tuition for those in need.

And separately, a National Tutoring Programme, worth £350 million, will be set aside for the most disadvantaged young people to access to high-quality tuition over the 2020/21 academic year.

It is hoped this will help accelerate their academic progress and prevent the gap between them and theirmore affluent peers widening.

At the announcement, Boris Johnson said: “I want to once again thank teachers, childcare workers and support staff for the brilliant work they have been doing throughout the pandemic.

“This includes providing remote education for those not in school, as well as face-to-face education for vulnerable children and the children of critical workers.

“This £1 billion catch-up package will help head teachers to provide extra support to children who have fallen behind while out of school.

“I am determined to do everything I can to get all children back in school from September, and we will bring forward plans on how this will happen as soon as possible.”

And education secretary, GavinWilliamson said: “We cannot afford for any of our children to lose out as a result of Covid-19. The scale of our response must match the scale of the challenge.

“This package will make sure that every young person, no matter their age orwhere they live, gets the education, opportunities and outcomes they deserve, by spending it on measures proven to be effective, particularly for those who are most disadvantaged.

“The plan will be delivered throughout the next academic year, bringing long term reform to the educational sector that will protect a generation of children from the effects of this pandemic.

“The National Tutoring Programme is designed to reach up to two million of England’s most disadvantaged children.

“The Government’s ambition is that all providers running holiday clubs and activities for children over the summer holidaywill be able to open, if the science allows.

“Guidance will be provided to the sector on how to implement the protective measures necessary to open safely, and to parents on how to minimise the spread of the virus if they choose to attend.”

And on Friday, the Education Endowment Foundation published a guide to help school leaders and staff decide how to use this funding to best support their pupils and their outcomes.

MrWilliamson added: “It provides advice on support strategies schools can use in deciding how to support pupils, including intervention programmes, extra teaching capacity, access to technology or summer schools.”

And Cllr Judith Blake, chair of the Local Government Association’s children and young people board, said: “It is positive that the Government has announced this funding to help children catch up on lost teaching time.

“Teachers have done a fantastic job keeping schools open to vulnerable families and children of keyworkers during the coronavirus pandemic and more recently expanding schools to more pupils.

“Councils want to work with schools and government to help children catch-up on any school work theymay have missed, and ensure as many pupils as possible return to school in September, as it is absolutely vital that children do not fall further behind in their development.”