Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to help sixth form students recover from the disruption to their education that has resulted from the covid-19 outbreak.

We recognise that extended school and college restrictions due to COVID-19 have had a substantial impact on children and young people’s learning and we are committed to helping all pupils make up learning lost as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.

We have made available £1.7 billion in funding to support education recovery. In June 2020, we announced a £1 billion catch-up package, including a National Tutoring Programme and a catch-up premium for this academic year. In February 2021, we committed to further funding of £700 million to fund summer schools, expansion of our tutoring programmes and a Recovery Premium for the next academic year. This funding specifically included a £102 million extension of the 16-19 Tuition Fund for a further year to support more students in English, maths and other vocational and academic subjects whose learning has been impacted most severely by the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Tuition Fund is specific to 16 to 19 year old learners and is supporting thousands of eligible students across England to catch up and improve retention and attainment during the COVID-19 outbreak. There is good evidence of the value of small group provision in supporting learners to recover lost learning. The fund allows for this support for those studying English and maths and in elements of technical or academic study programmes helping them to address gaps in knowledge required for 16-19 qualifications.

It is essential that the fund focuses on those young people whose learning has been impacted most severely by the COVID-19 outbreak. This is why we have focused on those young people who are at significant disadvantage and who need the most support. Within the eligible cohort, providers will have discretion to target those students who need support most. Provider institutions will decide whether to opt into the scheme.

We have also appointed Sir Kevan Collins as Education Recovery Commissioner to advise on the development of a long-term recovery plan. Sir Kevan will engage with parents, pupils, students and teachers in the development of this broader approach. He will also review how evidence-based interventions can be used to address the impact that the COVID-19 outbreak has had on learning to ensure pupils and students, including those aged 16 to 19, are not disadvantaged disproportionately as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.