Government pledges not to leave struggling children in school behind
Schools will identify pupils at risk of falling behind and offer support
All pupils in England at risk of falling behind will be offered targeted support, the Government announced.
In the Schools White Paper, Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi has set out his vision for schools over the next decade, including a plan for a Parent Pledge for pupils falling behind in English and maths to get extra support.
Under the Government's pledge, schools will identify pupils at risk of falling behind, offering them a range of support, including tutoring sessions in small groups, and parents will be kept informed of their child's progress.
Mr Zahawi said that "teachers know what to do when they see a child falling behind. It's the analysis first, looking at where the gaps are, communicating with the parents and then putting in place additional tutoring"
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that "we are making a pledge to every parent, if your child falls behind at school in either of these key subjects, their school will help them get back on track".
Six million tutoring courses to be delivered by 2024
The paper pledged for up to six million tutoring courses to be delivered by 2024 and promised action to cement tuition as a permanent part of the education system.
Under the plans, councils will be able to set up and run their own academy trusts, which it is hoped will encourage more primary schools to become academies.
where schools have received two consecutive Ofsted judgements of below "Good", the Government plans to help them to join strong trusts.
The paper says that by 2025, Ofsted will inspect every school, including a backlog of schools previously rated "outstanding", some of which have not been inspected for years.
The Government said that the Education Endowment Foundation charity will receive at least a £100 million in funding, so that it can continue to evaluate the best teaching practice over the long term, and spread this across the country.
The paper also announced that 500,000 teacher training and development opportunities would be introduced, and affirmed a commitment to raise starting salaries to £30,000.
The pledge also aims to introduce a national register for pupils not in school to ensure "no child is lost" from the system, especially since children were working from home during the pandemic.
Labour say its a "smoke-and-mirrors announcement"
Labour argue that developing good reading, writing and maths skills should be fundamental to the school system not an "add on".
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said that while the paper outlined a number of "promising and helpful" measures, overall it was "mechanistic" and lacked ambition.
there is little recognition of the wider societal factors which affect those outcomes, such as the fact that nearly a third of children in the UK live in poverty.