Education: Children

(asked on 11th May 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to support children who have fallen behind in school as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.


Answered by
Nick Gibb Portrait
Nick Gibb
This question was answered on 17th May 2021

The Government recognises that extended school and college restrictions have had a substantial impact on children and young people’s education and are committed to helping pupils make up education lost due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

To address this challenge, my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, committed to working with parents, teachers, and education providers to develop a long-term plan to help education settings to support pupils make up their education over the course of this Parliament.

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 next academic year. Funding will support pupils across early years settings, schools, and providers of 16 to 19 education.

The Department has appointed Sir Kevan Collins as Education Recovery Commissioner to advise on the development of the long-term recovery plan. Sir Kevan will engage with parents, pupils, and teachers in the development of this broader approach and review how evidence-based interventions can be used to address the impact the COVID-19 outbreak has had on education. We will share further details in due course.

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