Students May Need To Have Longer School Days And Saturday Classes, Education Secretary Advises

Students may be required to catch up with missed education by having longer school days and attending classes on Saturdays, the government says.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson says that after months away from the classroom, there are a variety of measures that could be taken to ensure schoolchildren can catch up.

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Following the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, many schools missed months of education. Mr Williamson said schools will be able to assess the individual needs of their students, saying that there will be 'clear guidance'.

Speaking in the Commons, he said: "That might mean extending the school day for some, that might mean Saturday classes for others.

"There are so many different interventions that can really deliver significant results in terms of helping youngsters catch up on the learning that they have lost."

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Pupils and staff have returned to schools as usual for the September term, with social distancing measures put in place, as well as hygiene protocols, in an attempt to prevent further spreading of the virus.

Although things have looked a little different since many children were last in school six months ago, most people think it was the right decision to get kids back into the classroom.

Last week, two thirds of people that voted in a LADbible poll thought that it was the correct decision to send children back to education.

We received over 10,000 votes with just over 68 percent of people saying it was the right thing to do and just shy of 32 percent saying that kids shouldn't be going back.

In response to the poll, one person wrote: "The kids have had all but half a year off, we've got to somehow live with this virus still around us and the rest of the colds and viruses around. No excuse really."

Someone else added: "You take an acceptable risk of being hit every time your cross the road, the risk of taking kids back is acceptable in order to maintain their education."

Another, who was clearly on the fence, wrote: "I'm a bit tied on it. On one hand I'm like the kids need education and to be able to socialise because socialising is good for children. On the other it Covid is still out there but I'm gonna say yes for now."

Topics: UK News, Coronavirus, Education, Politics

Amelia Ward

Amelia is a journalist at LADbible. After studying journalism at Liverpool John Moores and Salford Uni (don't ask), she went into PR and then the world of music. After a few years working on festivals and events, she went back to her roots. In her spare time, Amelia likes music, Liverpool FC, and spending good, quality time with her cat, Paul. You can contact Amelia at [email protected].

@ameliasward