Julian Knight MP has welcomed the announcement that schools in Solihull are among the 2,820 secondary schools across England that will be hosting a summer school over the school holidays, as part of the Conservative Government’s £200 million Summer School programme.
The summer schools will provide a range of extra-curricular and academic catch-up activities to boost children’s opportunities to catch up, which should be vital in ensuring no child is left behind as a result of the pandemic.
There is a vast array of benefits laid out by the summer school programme. Pupils will benefit from learning essential maths and English skills while getting involved in sports, drama and music – as well as the option of theatre trips, cooking classes and sports sessions. This programme will help pupils establish and build friendships which shall be beneficial to their confidence and mental wellbeing, especially for students, such as new Year 7s who have faced significant transitions in their school lives in the midst of the pandemic.
Evidence from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) shows that pupils who benefit from summer school programmes can make two months’ additional progress in comparison to pupils who don’t attend, and up to four months’ progress if the programme involves small group tuition.
Commenting, Solihull MP Julian Knight said:
“The pandemic has had a huge impact on the last school year for pupils – I am committed to helping everyone affected catch up on lost learning and missed experiences before the start of the next academic year.”
“This will help set pupils in Solihull up for the future, giving them the best opportunity to reach their full potential and get the world class education they deserve.”
The Conservative Government has pledged to deliver world class education facilities by increasing schools’ budget to nearly £50 billion in 2021-22, representing the biggest funding boost for schools in a decade.
