It has been announced that English secondary schools will be asked to open summer schools as part of the efforts to help students catch up on work. Obviously, there has been a number of months where face to face contact has been missed. This is part of the plan to get children back in the classroom and caught up with the work they haven’t been able to do.
What’s The Idea?
The idea is that these summer schools will help our children catch up. By the time our kids return to school, they will have had education disrupted for a year. Whilst there has been homeschooling and for part of that, it is estimated that as much as six months of teaching will have been missed out on. When every lesson is important, that is a lot to catch up on. They will also have missed the social aspect with class mates, the school experience which helps mould pupils as well as outdoor play.
Extra Finances
There has been a fund worth £420 million announced to help kids get back in the classroom. This is on top of another £300 million for catch up projects. These summer schools would be part of those catch up projects plans. The education secretary has said that secondary schools will receive around £22k whereas primary schools will get around £6,000 each. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said this money is to make sure that “no child is left behind.” It is up to headteachers to decide how this money will be spent, with overtime and extra teaching likely to be where it is used.
Schools Are Returning
Having been open and shut, open and shut for the best part of a year, schools are going back. As part of the UK roadmap out of Covid-19 restrictions, the first part is schools returning from Monday 8th March. What do you think about the return of schools? Have you enjoyed your children being at school or are they craving some normality once again? Will you be sending your kids to summer school at secondary schools or is the summer break more important? Stay safe.
