Sunderland teacher calls for post-16 students to get more support as new school year begins

A National Foundation for Educational Research survey suggests poorer students in England are at least three months behind their better-off peers following the coronavirus lockdown.

Speaking to Mishal Husain on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Tuesday, September 1, Sammy Wright, vice-principal of Southmoor Academy and Social Mobility Commission lead for schools, urged more help for older students.

He said: “I think I would agree with the survey, but I think it’s very different depending on the personal circumstances of the pupil.

“Some have endured terrible, terrible hardship and have been in home environments that have not been conducive to work in any way.

“What I’d really like to highlight is that some of the estimates of where we are, don’t take into account the differences students experience.

“The National Tutoring Programme is a fantastic thing and the Commission commends the Government for putting it in place. But it doesn’t apply to post-16 students.

“The logic behind this was that they said post-16s would cope better with distance learning. But that was only post-16 students who had the resources.

“Just because they’re over 16 hasn’t meant that it’s had no impact on them."

Mr Wright also said a delay to GCSE and A-level exams “would be part of the picture” moving into the new school year.

He added: “But what’s really important is that we don’t say that’s the only answer. It has to be about supporting students through the next few months.”

Speaking on the same programme, School Standards minister Nick Gibb said a delay to next summer’s exams was a possibility – but would not give a date for a decision.

He said: “There’s a whole range of factors that the department and Ofqual are looking at. We will come to a decision very soon. The issues are not simple.”

On help for post-16s, Mr Gibb added: “There is a 16-19 fund for sixth forms for disadvantaged 16-19 year-olds, to make sure they catch up.

"But the important thing now is that young people are back in school.”

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