SUMMER schools will be laid on under a £700million catch- up programme being unveiled by PM Boris Johnson today.
Teachers will be asked to cut short holidays to help secondary kids with face-to-face lessons before the new school year starts in September.
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Ministers want Year 7 pupils to get first dibs on classes, but say they will leave it up to head teachers to pick who should get priority.
England’s schools will get an extra £200million to pay teachers to staff the classes — which can also include sport and other activities.
But despite the extra cash, one source said Downing Street was braced for another “almighty row” with hardline unions over the plan.
Another £500million will go on expanding tutoring schemes.
The Sun understands ministers also considered lengthening the school day – but decided not to go ahead with the plan as it was deemed too complicated.
Quizzed on telly about his school plans, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson refused to rule out making the school day longer at some point in the future.
Teachers and parents have done a heroic job with home-schooling, but we know the classroom is the best place for children to be.
Boris Johnson
About £302million of this is for a new Covid “Recovery Premium” to support kids in primaries and secondaries, based on the pupil premium which already funnels extra cash to the most disadvantaged.
Plugging the extra cash, Boris Johnson said: “Teachers and parents have done a heroic job with home-schooling, but we know the classroom is the best place for children to be.
“Our next priority will be ensuring no child is left behind as a result of the learning they have lost.”
In a clip released this morning he said: “They are really, really keen to get back.
“There’s going to be an awful lot of testing as well.
“We have got no doubt that being in school is the best place for young people, for kids to be.”
The average primary school will receive around £6,000 more, and the average secondary school will get around £22,000 extra.
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The Sun says
NOTHING thrills the hard-Left National Education Union like the possibility of stopping Boris Johnson reopening schools.
The welfare of kids or their parents is barely ever considered. The priority is always their members — and weaponising them against the Tories they hate.
The NEU previously objected to reopening schools before child poverty is “ended”.
Its new excuse is it’s simply too hard to get pupils back and a Covid testing regime in place before Easter.
Most teachers do a wonderful job.
They can surely find better representation than this Corbynite wrecking crew.
And £18million will go on supporting early years.
The cash comes on top of the £1billion schools Covid catch-up announced last year, but includes the £300million extra unveiled by the PM last month.
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