Displaying items by tag: summer schools

The Prime Minister has announced an extra £400m to help children in England catch up on lost learning caused by the pandemic. Secondary schools will be asked to run classes in the summer holidays in an ‘extensive programme’ backed by a total of £700m in funding. Teachers will be given the ‘tools and resources they need to support their pupils’ and it will also provide children with the ‘opportunities they deserve to learn and fulfil their potential’. The package will include an expansion of one-to-one and small group tutoring programmes, support for the development of children in early years, and summer catch-up classes for those who need it the most. Education secretary Gavin Williamson said, ‘We're looking at a whole range of different actions. We want to give schools external resources to take action immediately - this is an immediate response to give children that extra boost.’

The Department of Education (DE) is considering two-week summer schools in late July for pupils going into years 5, 6 and 7. No school or organisation will be obliged to run one; they are entirely voluntary and subject to funding being available and the agreement of the executive teaching unions. Schools will be asked how many pupils they could take on a ratio of one teacher per seven pupils. Possible financial support may be available to schools already running their own summer schools (for current year 4, 5 and 6 pupils). Other proposals being considered are extra online lessons in literacy and numeracy for pupils going into year 7 who need extra support, and virtual learning if they have IT access.