The former boss of Ofsted has said school summer holidays should be scrapped to help pupils catch up and prevent a ‘lost generation’ of children.
Michael Wilshaw said children being taken out of schools amid the coronavirus pandemic has been a great tragedy.
He believes the priority for educators as the lockdown eases across Britain should be helping pupils to stay up to speed.
And that could even mean getting rid of the summer holidays that have become a mainstay in the school calendar.
Michael Wilshaw says that children being taken out of schools amid the coronavirus pandemic has been a great tragedy
Yesterday he was asked by Sophy Ridge on Sky News whether the country will have to contend with a ‘lost generation’ if lockdown continues much longer.
He said: ‘Yes, a lost generation of youngsters and it is a great tragedy because our education system has made huge progress over the last few years and the results published last year show that.
‘It is a great shame that this could unravel that progress. I’m sure it won’t because head teachers, when schools do go back, are absolutely committed to recovering lost ground and that means convincing teachers to work extra hours to really intensify the work that they do with youngsters, particularly in examination cohorts.’
Sir Michael added when England’s schools are back up and running, headteachers should hold extra lessons at the weekends and in the holidays.
He called for schools to reopen as planned on June 1, despite trade unionists being concerned about safety.
Students walk to Mount Albert Grammar School on May 18, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand
‘They should [reopen] and other countries have opened up their schools in Europe and beyond and so should we.
‘The critical thing is until parents and families feel confident to send their children to school safely, that’s the big issue.
‘It’s all right opening up schools but if parents lack that confidence then they are not going to send them in… the government should have had two or three months to really prepare parents for the opening on the 1st June.’
Sir Michael yesterday blasted ministers for failing to convince parents it is safe to reopen schools on June 1 amid reports three-quarters will refuse to do so.
A source told the Telegraph they are anticipating a small number of schools returning immediately.
They said: ‘You are not going to get a situation where you get 100 per cent of schools going back. You will probably only get 20 to 25 per cent first, but it will pick up.’
Meanwhile a new poll suggested teachers would be prepared to sacrifice some of their summer break to provide extra class time.
Six in 10 polled for the Sun on Sunday said they would be willing to work extra shifts to help struggling pupils.
Councils that refuse to reopen primary schools next week risk causing ‘lifelong damage’ to some of the country’s most deprived children, experts warned last night
Councils that refuse to reopen primary schools next week risk causing ‘lifelong damage’ to some of the country’s most deprived children, experts warned last night.
Primary pupils achieve below-average Statutory Assessment Test results in 13 out of the 23 councils that have bowed to pressure from militant teaching unions to boycott plans to bring back Reception, Year One and Year Six classes on June 1.
A Mail on Sunday investigation also found that 14 of the hardline local authorities – including Bradford, Bristol and Liverpool city councils – have a higher than average number of schools rated as ‘inadequate’ or ‘requiring improvement’ by Ofsted.
A survey of 151 local education authorities in England by the newspaper found that 23 authorities are strongly opposed to opening up classrooms on June 1, with some dismissing the target date as ‘impossible’ and ‘unworkable’.
They include some of the most deprived areas in the country, with primary pupils in Manchester, Hartlepool and Knowsley almost twice as likely to get free school meals, according to official figures.
Lee Elliot Major, professor of social mobility at the University of Exeter, said: ‘We desperately need to get our most disadvantaged and vulnerable children back with their teachers as soon as possible.
‘Every extra week away from school increases the prospects of lifelong educational damage.’
Labour runs 17 of the refusenik councils, three are Tory-led and three have no overall control in their political make-ups.
Alarmingly for the Government, only 18 councils which responded to our survey said they were planning to reopen schools next week.
Lee Elliot Major, professor of social mobility at the University of Exeter, said: ‘We desperately need to get our most disadvantaged and vulnerable children back with their teachers as soon as possible’. Pictured: Tables marked at Kempsey Primary School in Worcester showing where pupils can sit
A further 77 councils have told headteachers they can decide what to do, while 28 authorities did not give an answer to our questions.
Teachers, led by the National Education Union, have strongly resisted a return to school on safety grounds. Ministers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have signalled that schools will remain closed until August at the earliest.
MP Robert Halfon, chairman of the Commons Education Select Committee, said: ‘It is extraordinary to see that in these areas where there is significant under-performance, with disadvantaged children suffering the most from the lockdown, that so many Labour council leaders and Left-wing teachers are most unwilling to get these vulnerable children back into school.
‘They are potentially destroying these children’s life chances.’