19.06.20
LGA responds to PM's £1bn education 'catch-up' package
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced a £1bn plan to help children ‘catch up’ on their education following the lockdown, including one-to-one or small group tuition.
£650m is to be shared across state primary and secondary schools through the 2020-21 academic year and £350m will go towards a ‘national tutoring programme’, a high-quality programme for up to two million of the most disadvantage young people.
During the announcement, the PM thanked teachers, childcare workers and support staff for their work and said he was ‘determined’ to get all children back in school from September.
The package will focus on the most disadvantaged pupils in the country and aim to make up for lost teaching time, but early years providers and colleges for 16 to 19-year-olds were not mentioned.
Responding to the announcement Cllr Judith Blake, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Children and Young People Board, said:
“It is positive that the Government has announced this funding to help children catch up on lost teaching time.
“Teachers have done a fantastic job keeping schools open to vulnerable families and children of key workers during the coronavirus pandemic and more recently expanding schools to more pupils.
“Councils want to work with schools and government to help children catch-up on any school work they may have missed, and ensure as many pupils as possible return to school in September, as it is absolutely vital that children do not fall further behind in their development.
“We now look forward to seeing the guidance for this plan.”
LISTEN: Ep. 17 The wider impact of Covid-19 on our children