£1bn school catch-up fund for longer days and tutors
A £1 BILLION education “catchup” package was unveiled last night to help millions of children who have missed months of schooling.
The Government has set aside £650million to be shared across nurseries, schools and post-16 colleges in time for the start of the new school year in September.
There will also be a further a £350million spent on a National Tutoring Programme which will pay for private lessons for children from some of the most deprived backgrounds.
Announcing the package of measures, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “This £1billion 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.”
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson is expected to give further details today.
But it is understood they could see schools in England having longer days and hiring thousands of private tutors.
Other measures are likely to include extra sessions at the end of the day.
That would mean that school hours would not be formally extended but many pupils would be kept in class for longer.
That would come on top of the staggered arrival and finish times which schools are already having to implement.
Mr Williams 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 or where they live, gets the education, opportunities and outcomes they deserve.”
But union leaders, medical and education chiefs are warning the poorest and most vulnerable children will struggle to close the attainment gap.
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Prof Russell Viner, of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said top doctors have a “very real concern” for children’s health.
A report by UCL’s Institute of Education found two million children had done less than an hour schoolwork per day during lockdown.
More than 1,500 paediatricians have also signed an unprecedented open letter to the PM, calling for a clear plan on getting children back to school.
Teachers’ leaders also warned yesterday that England’s schools would not be able to fully reopen under current rules, which require just 15 pupils in a class.
They want public buildings to be used for extra classroom space – saying the “maths just doesn’t work”.