Cautious welcome for summer schools in today’s Times

Speaking in The Times, CfEY’s Chief Executive Loic Menzies cautiously welcomed today’s government announcement on summer schools saying:

“It’s good to see summer schools included in the government’s package of support as pupils return to schools. Pupils are desperate for opportunities to spend time with their peers and we need to ensure that they are ready to hit the ground running next September”

“That said, evidence on summer schools’ impact (in normal circumstances) is mixed, and this funding for holiday provision mustn’t get in the way of giving schools the financial support they need to help pupils recover in the longer term.”

CfEY’s research briefings on summer schools have called on the government to:

1. Focus on transition year groups like year 7
2. Minimise the burden on teachers by paying them if they chose to give up a week or two of their time over by summer
3. Fund partnerships between schools and third sector organisations to minimise demands on school staff whilst ensuring a range of enriching activities are available to all pupils alongside more academic learning.

Read our latest 2021 briefing here

Read our 2020 briefing focused on transitions here