Gavin Williamson confirms summer holidays may be shortened for English pupils
Education secretary Gavin Williamson has confirmed that English pupils may have shorter summer holidays or longer school days to make up for days missed this academic year.
English pupils will return to the classrooms tomorrow in what Williamson labelled today “a massive logistical exercise”.
Pupils will be required to take Covid tests twice a week and secondary schools have been told they should implement mask wearing in classrooms.
Primary school pupils have to wear masks “where possible”.
Williamson did not rule out shortening summer holidays today or any other changes that would see school pupils make up time for lost days during the latest lockdown.
He told Sky News that some changes, which could be brought in permanently, would be the most significant since World War II.
“There is a whole range of different proposals that we are looking at, whether it is a five-term year, whether it is lengthening the school day,” he said.
“But also measures such as enhancing the support we give to teachers, supporting them in their professional development, making sure they can be the very best of themselves.”
Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman said children would be “adaptable and flexible” around things like mask wearing.
She told Sky News today: “I think the overwhelming thing we’re seeing is the vast majority of parents, the vast majority of children and the vast majority of teachers are really happy to be going back to school.
“I really hope the whole paraphernalia of masks and testing is only necessary for a short time … I love the idea of children being able to come back in summer term able to see everybody fully.”
However, she did raise concerns about potential changes to the length of school days or the summer break.
“In terms of adjustments to school days and school years, many experiments have happened in the past and I think one of the really important things is to learn from the experiments that have happened in the past,” she said.
“Of course, there is no point adding time here or moving time there, if you don’t get a groundswell of support, if children simply don’t turn up for extra terms or summer schools for example, you could end up putting a lot of effort into something that doesn’t achieve the objective.”