It was reported today that secondary schools in England will be asked to provide summer schools so that pupils can catch up. Dr Rebecca Morris, an Assistant Professor from the University of Warwick's Centre for Education Studies, comments on the story:

"While additional funding for schools is always welcome, it is likely that much more will be needed to ensure that all children, and particularly those from the most disadvantaged backgrounds, are able to access sustained, high-quality additional support for their learning.

"Allocating money for summer schools could be beneficial for some children but schools may well have had other approaches (such as further tuition, home learning equipment or additional support staff) which they would have preferred to spend the money on.

"Why not let them determine how to use the funding in order to best support the children and families that they serve?"

24 February 2021

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