Oral Answers to Questions

George Howarth Excerpts

Monday 22nd June 2020 Commons Chamber

[Alec Shelbrooke (Elmet and Rothwell) (Con)]

What plans he has to provide time in schools for pupils to catch up on education missed as a result of the covid-19 lockdown.

[Sir George Howarth (Knowsley) (Lab)]

What plans he has to help schools deliver programmes to enable pupils to catch up on progress lost as a result of the covid-19 lockdown.

[Miriam Cates (Penistone and Stocksbridge) (Con)]

What support his Department will provide to pupils to make up for time spent out of school as a result of the covid-19 lockdown.

--- Later in debate ---

[Gavin Williamson]

One key element of the £1 billion package is ensuring that children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds have extra support through one-on-one tutoring and tutoring in small groups. My right hon. Friend raises an important point about providing more teaching time. That is why we will consult Ofqual on how we can move exams back, giving children extra time to learn, flourish and do incredibly well.

[Sir George Howarth [V]]

I welcome the additional £350 million announced last week for catch-up tutoring, but the Secretary of State is aware that schools with already badly overstretched budgets will have to find a quarter of that cost. Will he give an unequivocal commitment that schools, which are best placed to know their pupils’ needs, will be able to target those funds in the most appropriate way for them?

[Gavin Williamson]

I am pleased to report that Knowsley Council has seen good sense and is working with the Department to ensure that all schools in Knowsley are opening up, which is a welcome development. The whole purpose of our very targeted approach is that it is evidence-based—we know that direct tutoring of children from disadvantaged backgrounds has the single biggest impact on driving their attainment. As I am sure the right hon. Gentleman will be aware, the other element of the package—£650 million—gives schools flexibility to look at how they can drive improvement, and I urge him to look at the work done by the Education Endowment Foundation to guide how they spend that money.