New data reveals Government summer schools will reach just 8% of pupils as Labour demands Ministers be ambitious for children’s recovery on National Children’s Day

On National Children’s Day [Sunday], Labour is calling on the Government to put children at the heart of an ambitious national recovery as new Labour analysis reveals that the Government’s summer schools will reach just 8% of pupils across England.

In February, the Government announced funding for summer schools to support children’s recovery. However, Labour’s analysis reveals fewer than one in 12 pupils will benefit from the schemes.

Among incoming year 7 pupils – who are the main target for summer school provision – the funding would provide just one week of summer teaching and activities, woefully insufficient to help children recover from half a year of missed school.

The pitiful reach of summer school programmes comes on top of previous Labour analysis which revealed the Government’s flagship tutoring programme is delivering support to less than 2% of pupils.

Labour has warned that Tuesday’s Queen’s Speech was a missed opportunity to deliver the ambitious national recovery plan that children need with more time for play and social development alongside targeted catch-up teaching.

Labour’s plan for universal ‘catch-up’ breakfast clubs, would see all children benefit from a healthy meal to start their day, while creating extra time for children to socialise and schools to deliver targeted tuition support. Evidence shows breakfast clubs can boost children’s educational attainment with positive impacts on reading and writing.

Kate Green MP, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, said:

“These half-baked summer school plans are yet more evidence of the Conservatives’ failure to deliver on their promises on children’s recovery.

“The Government’s plans are falling far short of what we should demand to help every child recover lost learning and social development. The Government must be ambitious for children’s recovery or risk a Covid generation being held back.

“Labour wants children to be at the heart of our national recovery. Our Bright Future taskforce will set out bold recovery policies, starting with catch-up breakfast clubs, which are ambitious for every child’s learning and wellbeing.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

• Government guidance gives schools discretion on who to provide summer school for but suggests aiming this at incoming year 7 pupils: “It is for schools to determine which pupils would most benefit from a summer school. We expect, however, that most will want to focus this provision primarily on pupils making the transition into year 7.” Funding has been allocated to schools on the basis of every year 7 attending for one week or 50% attendance across a two-week programme: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/975835/Summer_schools_guidance.pdf

• This means just 8% or fewer than 1 in 12 of all school pupils will benefit from summer schools with funding of just £24 per pupil nationally.

Summer schools funding allocation by school and local authority: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-summer-schools-programme-funding

Pupil numbers: 8,267,590 state school pupils - https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/96d267d2-f708-4765-9fbc-232cfa0187be

• At an education select committee hearing on 29 April, Schools Minister Nick Gibb MP said: “the latest figures are that of those enrolled, over 110,000 have commenced tutoring and 44% of those are eligible for pupil premium funding." https://committees.parliament.uk/oralevidence/2142/pdf/

Source: total school children: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2020

• Labour calls for catch-up breakfast clubs to help children recover lost learning and social development: https://labour.org.uk/press/labour-calls-for-catch-up-breakfast-clubs-to-help-children-recover-lost-learning-and-social-development/

• In response to a written parliamentary question, Nick Gibb said that the Government has placed “1,074 active mentors across 946 schools who have supported over 23,000 pupils.” https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2021-04-19/183135

This is equivalent to one mentor per 8,277 school pupils or just 0.26% of all pupils being supported by an academic mentor.

• The Conservatives have delivered a ‘stealth cut’ to school budget reducing the number of children eligible for pupil premium funding – additional funding allocated to children on free school meals or who are looked after to help them achieve at school: https://labour.org.uk/press/conservatives-stealth-cut-to-school-funding-shows-disregard-for-childrens-futures/