The UK government has pledged £700m to an education recovery package as part of its commitment to ensuring “no child is left behind” following a disruptive year of learning.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a 'pandemic package' of extra funding, including a one-off £302 million “Recovery Premium” for state primary and secondary schools. It will be used for projects to help students catch up on the work they have missed while they have been learning remotely.
Commenting on the new measures, the Prime Minister commended the “heroic” efforts of teachers in facilitating home-schooling, but stressed that “the classroom is the best place for our children to be”.
He added: “This extensive programme of catch-up funding will equip teachers with the tools and resources they need to support their pupils, and give children the opportunities they deserve to learn and fulfil their potential”.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson insisted that schools and colleges will be given the flexibility to ensure the package helps the children who need it the most.
The “Recovery Premium” will enable schools and colleges to support disadvantaged pupils – which could include running additional clubs and activities in the summer, or opting for evidence-based approaches to help children from September.
A further £200 million will be available to secondary schools to deliver face-to-face summer schools. The remaining £200 million will be put towards an expansion of existing tuition programmes for students – including the National Tutoring Programme (NPP) – and funding additional language support for pre-school children.
In addition, teachers and pupils will have access to a range of high-quality online resources, produced by Oak National Academy, which will be made available from the summer term.
What do you think of the package? Do the measures go far enough?
Originally published on Eteach.