Commenting on the report by the Education Policy Institute (EPI)
about the catch-up plans for the four UK nations, Geoff Barton,
General Secretary of the Association of School and College
Leaders, said:
“We hope that policy-makers heed this crystal clear warning that
more funding needs to be put into catch-up support in the wake of
the coronavirus pandemic. The investment so far announced is
simply not enough to meet the scale of the challenge caused by a
year of disruption to the education of millions of children.
“Schools don’t need policy gimmicks, such as proposals rumoured
in the media to be under consideration in England for extended
school days and a longer summer term. What schools need is
sufficient funding to be able to provide high-quality, targeted
support for the pupils who have fallen behind.
“Many pupils will have worked well with the excellent remote
education provided by their schools, but a significant number
will have struggled for a variety of reasons, such as whether
parents were available to support them, lack of laptops, and
whether they have had a quiet space in which to study.
“Schools are very good at identifying learning gaps, and putting
in place the extra support that is needed by these pupils, but
the government has to back them up with adequate resources.”
