Millions of children will be told to stay longer at school to make up for time lost during the coronavirus lockdown.
Pupils could either start earlier or finish later to take part in ‘bolt-on’ sessions under plans set to be unveiled by ministers today. Thousands of private tutors could be hired to provide these extra lessons and students in disadvantaged areas are expected to be given priority.
A Whitehall source said: ‘The best place for children to learn is in a school environment, so it makes sense to try and do catch-up work at school rather than trying to do it through home learning. There has rightly been a lot of focus on the impact on disadvantaged children but all children have missed out on their education so we need a catch-up programme that is open to everyone.’
Ministers are not planning on lengthening the school day under legislation, but teaching staff will be asked to facilitate catch-up sessions on site. It follows a study by University College London (UCL) suggesting a fifth of the country’s 10 million schoolchildren have done no work at home during lockdown or less than one hour per day.
Only 17% have being doing more than fours a day. Some schools have chosen not to offer live-streamed classes under guidance from the National Educational Union. Its joint general secretary Mary Bousted said: ‘Teachers cannot be working as though they are sat in front of a class, and children cannot be expected to be able to study full time with online resources.’
The union advised online classes should be kept ‘to a minimum’ and live-steaming lessons should only be done under ‘exceptional circumstances’. Safety concerns have been raised over the potential for screenshots to be taken of members of staff.
According to the Daily Telegraph an open letter signed by 1,500 people from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health urges the Government to send pupils back to class or ‘risk scarring the life chances of a generation of young people’.
They added: ‘School is about much more than learning. It is a vital point of contact for public health services, safe-guarding and other initiatives.
‘This includes access to mental health support, vaccinations, special therapies, free school meals, physical activity and early years services that help children get the best start in life.’
Last week Boris Johnson promised a ‘massive catch-up operation’ to prevent the coronavirus pandemic inflicting long-term damage on children’s education and development.
The plans will include ‘summer camps’ over the holidays, but is is not thought teachers will be asked to provide extra lessons during the break.
Private tutors will help children catch up with work through autumn while additional funding is expected to be provided for smaller group and one-to-one lessons.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: ‘We will do whatever we can to make sure no child, whatever their background, falls behind as a result of coronavirus.
‘The Government has already committed over £100 million to support children to learn at home, and pupil premium funding at the highest ever rate per pupil continues to be paid to help schools support their disadvantaged pupils.
‘Many schools have begun welcoming children from Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 back to the classroom as part of a phased and cautious approach.
‘We are also considering, with a range of partner organisations, what more is required to support all pupils who have been affected by school closures.’
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