Boris Johnson ‘may keep schools open for 2 weeks in summer to help kids catch up with windows open to reduce Covid risk’
BORIS Johnson could keep schools open for a further two weeks in the summer term to help kids catch up, it has been reported.
The Prime Minister is said to be mulling a plan that would see schools have windows open in the warmer weather to reduce Covid risk.
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The missed holiday time would then be added on to the autumn and winter breaks.
The move comes after MPs personally lobbied him to consider after-school classes run by volunteers.
The Prime Minister has announced schools cannot reopen before March 8, but 18 Conservative MPs have backed UsforThem - a campaign calling for schools to reopen on February 22.
“We have to reform the school year,” he told the paper
“There has to be change - things cannot carry on the way they did pre-Covid. From my discussions with No10, everything is up for debate.”
A Government spokesman said a further £300million is to be spent on tutoring programmes, building on the existing £1bn Covid Catch Up Fund.
“Prime Minister has been clear that extended schools closures have had a huge impact on pupils' education, which will take more than a year to make up.
“The Government will work with parents, teachers and schools to develop a long-term plan to make sure pupils have the chance to make up their lost education over the course of this parliament.
“And we have just appointed Sir Kevan Collins to the role of Education Recovery Commissioner, to specifically oversee this issue.”
Health minister Edward Argar didn't rule out the idea of extending the summer term to give pupils time to catch up.
He said Education Secretary Gavin Williamson "is looking at a whole range of things to see how we can make sure the impact on them is minimised to the extent that's possible".
Some private schools are preparing similar plans amid fears that Mr Johnson could delay a return to the classroom beyond March 8, the Sunday Telegraph reports.
The Welsh government has already suggested it could move to extend the summer term.
But Geoff Barton, from the ASCL head teachers' union, said changes to the school year should not happen now.
"It's nice to think about doing things differently, and this is the moment to rethink them," he said.
"But anyone trying to force that through this summer will find people are just craving getting back to normal."