SCOTTISH children could benefit from school hours being extended and extra tuition given over the summer holidays in a bid to make up for lost face-to-face teaching.
Nicola Sturgeon told Holyrood yesterday she would consider such proposals when asked about a report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies report, published on Monday, which suggested that the cost of lost schooling in Scotland due to the pandemic is at least £2.8 billion.
The question was put by SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson who said: “In recent years, much progress has been made in raising attainment, particularly among pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“That progress has inevitably been undermined by necessary restrictions that have been undertaken in response to the pandemic. The income lost to an individual over a lifetime could run into tens of thousands of pounds.
“The Institute for Fiscal Studies has suggested that the large-scale use of tuition in the summer holidays and extended hours could partially make up for lost classroom time.
“Will the Scottish Government explore all feasible options for ensuring that our pupils can catch up on their lost education, so that, by the time they leave school, any educational disadvantage suffered due to the pandemic is minimised?”
The First Minister responded: “Yes, we absolutely will. We are doing and will continue to do everything that we can to ensure that the impact on children’s education is minimised, and we will consider taking action beyond that which is being taken right now.”
Earlier in the exchange with Gibson, Sturgeon said in the Scottish Government’s draft budget for next year, more than £127 million in pupil equity funding had been set aside to support pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds with a further £30m to be invested to support schools to cope with the ongoing effects of the coronavirus.
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