Children could be asked to take part in “bolt-on” sessions and a longer school day next term under plans to help them catch up on work lost to the coronavirus pandemic.
Ministers are reportedly finalising the proposals aimed at helping those who have missed out since school gates closed in March after the UK went into lockdown.
Reports of the plan came as 1,500 paediatricians signed an open letter warning the government it needed to get pupils back to school or “risk scarring the life chances of a generation”.
The plan for increased school hours is expected to be published on Thursday and is said to include funding for “bolt-on” sessions at either end of the school day.
UK Schools begin to reopen during Coronavirus lockdown ease
A Whitehall source told the Mail: “The best place for children to learn is in a school environment, so it makes sense to try and do catch-up work at school rather than trying to do it through home learning.
“There has rightly been a lot of focus on the impact on disadvantaged children but all children have missed out on their education so we need a catch-up programme that is open to everyone.”
Ministers have reportedly ruled out formally extending the length of the school day, but teachers will be asked to run catch-up lessons.
Meanwhile, paediatricians wrote to Prime Minister Boris Johnson telling him that vulnerable children were suffering while schools remained shut during lockdown.
The letter, signed by members of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, asks the government to publish a clear plan for getting all children back to school.
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Most children have been out of school for more than 12 weeks, a break the letter described as “without precedent”. It puts the opportunities of a generation of young people in jeopardy, the group of paediatricians said.
Schools in England could be set to be given funding to hire private tutors from approved agencies, in a move aimed at bringing pupils up to speed.
The multi-million pound initiative is expected to involve thousands of tutors for a year long programme, the Guardian reported.
