Responding to a new report by the Education Policy Institute
(EPI) today (Thurs 21st Oct), which looks at learning loss
resulting from the pandemic and calls for a ‘significant
additional investment’ in next week’s Spending Review to help
children recover, Nick Brook, deputy general secretary of school
leaders’ union NAHT, said:
“The Spending Review will be a moment of truth to show once and
for all whether ‘levelling up’ in education is more than just
hollow words and empty promises. Over recent months, virtually
every education expert worthy of the name has called on
government to take seriously the deep social, economic and
educational impact of the pandemic on our nation’s children.
“Today’s report helps quantify the scale of the challenge and the
size of the solution required. In determining how much is needed
to make good this deficit, the government must see education as
an investment in this country's future, not simply a drain on the
nation’s finances.”
EPI’s report also considers the future of the National Tutoring
Programme (NTP), identifying a number of risks that could impede
its success. On this, Mr Brook said:
“A ‘tutoring revolution’ in schools has the potential to help
level the playing field between children from poorer families and
their more affluent peers, but unless government shift up a gear,
this revolution is set to stall.
“At present, too much emphasis appears to be focused on a
quick-fix solution of redeploying teaching assistants to deliver
tutoring. Substituting one meaningful activity for another is
unlikely to shift the dial far. Instead, government should focus
their efforts on mobilising and re-engaging former teachers to
join a new tutoring profession, and support them to provide
world-class tutoring support to any pupil that is falling behind.
“Building a new tutoring profession will take effort. It requires
a plan and sustained funding. Without it, the tutoring revolution
risks coming to a screeching halt.”
