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£1.4bn investment in school children’s ‘lost learning’ welcome, but ignores needs of young children

Responding to today's announcement that the government will spend £1.4bn on 'catch-up' plans to help school pupils in England make up for lost learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kayte Lawton, Save the Children’s Head of Partnerships and Impact said, “The pandemic has had a profound impact on the learning of millions of school children in England, so we welcome this extra support.

“But there is no new support being made available for children aged five and under. This group of children had their learning and relationship development battered by the pandemic, too. But they are getting little extra support.

“We urge the government to invest in local support centres called family hubs where families can access a range of early help to overcome difficulties and child friendly services to help parents support their young children's learning. This is urgent to avoid a generation of young children falling even more behind in their education. 

“We are also concerned that the additional investment in catch-up learning announced today is insufficient to make up for an unprecedented loss in classroom-based learning because of COVID-19.”

For interviews calls Ian Woolverton on 07377 547 362