Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Department for Education

Oral Answers to Questions

Julian Sturdy Excerpts
Monday 1st March 2021

(3 years ago)

Commons Chamber
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The Secretary of State was asked—
Julian Sturdy Portrait Julian Sturdy (York Outer) (Con)
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What support his Department is providing to help children catch up on learning lost during the covid-19 outbreak.

Jack Brereton Portrait Jack Brereton (Stoke-on-Trent South) (Con)
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What support his Department is providing to help children catch up on learning lost during the covid-19 outbreak.

Gavin Williamson Portrait The Secretary of State for Education (Gavin Williamson)
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Helping pupils make up learning is vital, which is why the Government have invested £1.7 billion in helping education settings boost pupils’ learning, including additional funding for tutoring, early language support and summer schools. We have appointed an education recovery commissioner to advise on this work.

Julian Sturdy Portrait Julian Sturdy [V]
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Sadly, the impact of school closures over the past 12 months will be felt for a long time to come, with a gaping educational divide opening up as a result. I therefore very much welcome the Government’s intention to provide a catch-up programme over the summer, but will my right hon. Friend clarify how he proposes to target support to reach students who have fallen behind most over the past year—those who have been really affected by this lockdown?

Gavin Williamson Portrait Gavin Williamson
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My hon. Friend raises an important point. The spectrum and range of children who are perhaps needing that extra support is broad and wide. That is why it has been so important to give schools the flexibility to target the funding at the children who are most in need of that support, regardless of their background. Showing confidence in teachers to be able to target that support is very important.