£1bn fund to help pupils catch-up on lost learning

The Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced a £1 billion fund to help children in England catch up on learning missed during school closures amid the pandemic.

Primary and secondary schools will be given a £650m to spend on one-to-one or group tuition for any pupils they think need it over the next academic year, and the most disadvantaged pupils will have access to tutors through a £350m programme.

Early years providers and colleges for 16 to 19-year-olds are not included in the plans, and there was no mention of any of summer catch up plan.

Boris Johnson said he was "determined to do everything" he could to get all children back in school from September.

"We will bring forward plans on how this will happen as soon as possible," he said.

NASUWT General Secretary Dr Patrick Roach said: “This package of financial measures to support children and young people who have had their education disrupted due to the Coronavirus emergency is to be welcomed.
 
“Teachers have worked tirelessly since the start of this crisis to deliver support for children’s learning. However, it is clear that many children will need extra support and the additional funding from the Government has the potential to bring about significant impacts for learners.
 
“This announcement represents an important step towards securing the longer term education recovery that children and young people will need and it is important that this funding is used appropriately to enhance provision and support the work of teachers.
 
“The Government is right to recognise that an effective package of support will need to be in place over an extended period of time.
 
“We hope the Government will also now consider how it can go further to level up opportunity by tackling the causes of educational disadvantage, provide much-needed mental health support for those children who have been most affected during this crisis, and to ensure the delivery of a national technology offer for pupils which will equip all children to continue their learning outside the classroom and provide vital protection in the event of a second wave of this pandemic.”

David Hughes, Chief Executive of the Association of Colleges, however says the package fails to cover more than two thirds of England's 16 to 18 year olds. He said: "There are a million 16 to 18 year olds in England, and almost 700,000 of them study in colleges. They deserve as much support to overcome the challenges thrown up by COVID19 as every other age group, including their peers in schools. That’s why we have been working with officials to help design a funding boost for colleges to support their students.
 
"The government is right to take action to help school pupils catch up for lost time and to focus on those who are already disadvantaged but it is indefensible to overlook the needs of the 700,000 in colleges. I expect their exclusion from this announcement to be followed rapidly by clarification on the funding and support for college students. We are in contact with the Department for Education and hope to have this rectified as soon as possible.”