The government has finally announced the possibility of a year-long scheme to help students catching up on work missed due to COVID-19. The plan involves the government initiating a multi-million funding scheme for schools to use on private tutors, through ‘approved agencies’, in order to close attainment gaps. Tuition will take place within the school environment during school hours, and across all years, using both face-to-face and online learning.
However, funding made available for schools will primarily focus on the disadvantaged areas with prominent cases of attainment gaps. With almost 2 million students reportedly having missed a crucial amount of education during this period of Covid-19 and almost 4 in 10 pupils having had very little to no contact with schools, according to the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), concerns on the impact of the lack of national education on children is rising. This begs to question the support that the year-long scheme will offer to children with specific learning difficulties and those who do not fit the ‘disadvantaged’ cap but have still missed a substantial amount of lessons during the lockdown. Also, consideration must be pointed out as to whether the scheme will focus on literacy and numeracy or the wider curriculum.
Current pilot models have suggested that 30-minute tuition in either groups or one to one sessions over a period of 6 to 12 weeks might be enough to close the widening gaps. This can be challenged as often disadvantaged pupils and pupils with specific learning difficulties will often have a greater gap in learning. Additionally, pupils with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia often do not work well in groups and will require more time in order to process new information.
Another concern lies in that often agencies do not employ qualified teachers or specific learning difficulties specialist teachers. Similarly, many agencies out there ‘farm out’ student teachers as tutors in their attempt to provide teaching experience though undermining the severity of what constitutes actual learning in classrooms or on a one-to-one basis. So, one must consider the possibility of whether this governmental attempt will actually close the lockdown gap or add to it?