Two million children will leave school without ‘catch-up’ support

Labour has warned that nearly two million children will leave school without any catch-up support over the next four years.

Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, Kate Green, is warning that the government’s ‘feeble’ recovery plan risks setting back the life chances of a generation of young people, and is calling on the government to match Labour’s ambition for children’s futures by supporting the Party’s £15 billion Children’s Recovery Plan at a panel event on opportunity and social mobility in Covid Britain .

Labour says that its new analysis shows the extent of the Conservative’s failure to invest in supporting every child post-pandemic to recover lost learning and social development. This year alone could see over 560,000 Year 11 pupils leaving school without support to recover lost learning or development. Even those pupils who do receive academic support under government plans are set to get less than an hour of tutoring a fortnight despite missing 115 days – well over half a year – of normal face-to-face school.

According to Green, Labour’s Plan would give all schools the right resources to deliver a new range of activities – from sports and drama to music or book clubs – alongside targeted academic catch-up and small group tutoring for all who need it.

Green said: “The Conservatives have treated children as an afterthought throughout the pandemic and are now neglecting them in our recovery. As the number of children out of school spirals due to the Johnson variant, thousands of pupils will be leaving secondary school without receiving any support to recover lost learning or development.

“Labour has set out a bold plan to invest in our children’s futures, compensating for the Conservatives’ failures over the last year, to ensure all children can play, learn and develop post-pandemic. It’s time for the Conservatives’ to get behind Labour’s plan and match our ambition for children’s futures.”