Children in England are set to benefit from a
£1 billion COVID “catch-up” package to directly tackle the impact
of lost teaching time, the Prime Minister and Education Secretary
have confirmed.
As plans continue for a full return to
education from September, the government has
announced £650
million will be shared across state primary
and secondary schools over the 2020/21 academic
year.
Whilst headteachers will decide how the money
is spent, the government expects
this to be spent on evidence-based
interventions, particularly small group
tuition for whoever needs it.
This one-off grant to support pupils in state
education recognises that all young people have lost time in
education as a result of the pandemic, regardless of their income
or background.
Separately, a National Tutoring
Programme, worth £350
million, will increase access to high-quality tuition for
the most disadvantaged young people over the 2020/21 academic
year.
This will help accelerate their academic
progress and prevent the gap between them and their more affluent
peers widening.
This £1 billion package is on top of the £14
billion three-year funding settlement announced last year -
recognising the additional work schools will need to do to help
students to catch up.
Prime Minister 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 £1billion catch-up package will help
headteachers 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 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, 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 holiday will 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.
Today the Education Endowment Foundation has
also published a guide to help school leaders and staff decide
how to use this funding to best support their pupils and their
outcomes.
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.
The new package builds on the government’s
work throughout the pandemic to support the children most in
need.
Nurseries, schools and colleges remained open
to children from the most vulnerable families and have gone above
and beyond to keep in contact with them.
The Department for Education has also invested
more than £100 million in remote education – including delivering
laptops and internet access to those who need them most.
Sir Peter Lampl, founder and chairman
of the Sutton Trust and chairman of the Education Endowment
Foundation (EEF), said:
“Despite the heroic efforts of schools, many
pupils’ learning has suffered as a result of school closures.
These children are drawn disproportionately from disadvantaged
communities and need extensive support.
“We are delighted that the government is
announcing a large sum today to benefit those pupils who need it
the most. We are proud to support the tutoring
programme. Extensive trials show that high-quality tuition
is a cost-effective way to enable pupils to catch up. Through a
collaboration of organisations across the country, our aim is to
make this tuition available to tens of thousands of primary and
secondary school pupils. Our hope is that it becomes a powerful
tool for teachers in the years to come.”
