Pupils in participating schools are set to benefit from
more support in maths and English, as part of a £10 million
scheme announced today (Friday 09 July).
Specialist training and materials will be provided to
support focused sessions to boost numeracy and literacy
skills and help pupils catch-up in these core subjects.
Schools with high proportions of children from
disadvantaged backgrounds will be prioritised for the
schemes in order to support those most impacted by the
disruption to education.
The department has launched an information site
for parents, to support children of all age ranges and
abilities and catch up on lost learning from the pandemic.
The site features advice and support for parents of
children with special educational needs and disabilities
(SEND), as well as programmes for the summer.
The scheme will begin in the Autumn term and is part of the
Government’s long-term ambitious plans, backed by over £3bn
to date, helping to build back better from the pandemic.
School Standards Minister said:
Maths and English are the foundations for every child’s
education. Being sure we are using the most effective
teaching methods - phonics for reading and the maths
mastery approach for teaching maths - is key to ensuring
every child has the best start to their time at primary
school and the best introduction to the challenges of
secondary education.
This programme is designed to support schools in using
evidenced-based methods proven to give children the best
start to their education.
The scheme reflects year groups where pupils can have
significant difficulties catching up on maths and English
if they fall behind. For maths, participating schools will
receive fully funded training to deliver focused sessions.
The sessions (covering Reception, Year 1, Year 2 and Year
7) will help children to have a strong grasp of numbers by
the end of Key Stage 1, while the Year 7 programme will
focus on supporting a secure start to secondary school
maths. For English, eligible primary schools will receive
up to £6,000 each for validated phonics programmes, along
with additional training and support days for teachers to
support the delivery of these programmes.
The Maths programmes are based on the department’s
successful “Teaching for Mastery” programme and curriculum
guidance. The training and resources will be provided
to participating schools by the National Centre for
Excellence in the Teaching Maths (NCETM), in partnership
with local Maths Hubs across the country.
The funding for English will be focused on systematic
synthetic phonics, a highly effective method for teaching
early reading and an important component in the development
of early reading skills, particularly for children from
disadvantaged backgrounds. A number of English Hubs working
across the country will allocate funding to eligible
primary schools in selected Local Authority Districts and
support them to purchase training and resources for one of
the phonics programmes on the DfE’s validated list, all of
which have been quality assured by an expert panel.
The offer will be rolled out from Autumn term 2021. Schools
can find out more about how to participate in the Maths
programmes by contacting their local Maths Hub or
visiting the NCETM website for
maths.
Schools that would like to find out more about the funding
for English should contact one of the following English
Hubs:
