School day ‘could be extended by 30 minutes’ as part of leaked Covid-19 catch-up plan, reports suggest

The Times reports that a leaked presentation by education recovery tsar Kevan Collins, on which Prime Minister Boris Johnson has allegedly been briefed, includes plans to pay teachers for 100 extra teaching hours which would extend the school day by around 30 minutes.

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The extensive plan for England also suggests millions of pupils from disadvantaged areas will be offered one-to-one or small group tutoring sessions while hundreds of thousands of teachers will receive extra training, according to the Times.

However, the newspaper reports that the plan - expected to cost £15bn - has run into opposition from the Treasury.

Collins has previously described government funding designated to Covid-19 catch-up in schools and across the early years sector in England as “insufficient”.

Last week, a report by the British Psychological Society’s Division of Educational and Child Psychology (DECP) called for any introduction of longer school days to be used for “providing safe spaces for children to play, socialise, and engage in activities such as music, crafts and sports”.

Vivian Hill, vice-chair of the DECP said: “If the school day is to be extended, it’s important that we don’t just fill those extra hours with more and more formal teaching sessions. It is about developing a balanced offer and recognising that learning is a dynamic process. We urge the government to use this as an opportunity to reset the approach we take to education and our children within schools.”

Meanwhile, Mel Ainscow, emeritus professor of education at the University of Manchester, said of the leaked report: “It is crucial that schools are given the discretion to use these extra resources to suit their contexts. Too much money has already been wasted on centrally dictated projects. It’s time to trust practitioners. ‘Give teaching back to teachers.’”

Last month, analysis released by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) found that a multi-year investment of between £10bn and £15bn is required to meet the Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s pledge to make up for the lost learning seen by pupils as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Department for Education has been contacted for further comment.