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GENERAT ION COV I D
numeracy in schools. The government has also looked at sending in a small army of private tutors to help. School leaders are broadly supportive – as long as this is the start of a long-term programme, and not a flash in the pan that ends when the immediate crisis is over and society looks as if it’s back to normal. Though inequalities in our society are nothing new, the pandemic has served to bring them to our attention once more. If the will, resources and funding are brought together, perhaps this represents a defining moment in the way we confront inequality in society.
mental-health programmes, allowing local children from disadvantaged backgrounds to catch up and realise their full potential. There’s much more to come. As schools reopen, large-scale operations offering catch-up tuition are planned, aimed specifically at disadvantaged pupils. It’s likely to take the form of one-to-one or small-group tuition, something that’s already being trialled with encouraging results, suggesting that pupils are capable of making huge progress in a short time. Another not-for-profit scheme trains students and recent graduates so they can offer individual tuition in literacy and
stops – with lessons learned throughout the past year, many now have a slick operation in place, making life for home-educating parents that bit easier. They’ve reached out to families quickly, providing the lowdown on lockdown learning. Most importantly, they’ve explained how lessons will work effectively. Some schools have handed out devices to children from struggling families, including iPads and Chromebooks, ensuring they can still access their virtual classrooms. Other groups in our area have also stepped in to help. New local charities have raised money to fund wellbeing and
CAMBRIDGE EDUCAT ION GUIDE
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