A senior Tory MP has criticised the Government for failing to commit more funding to help children catch up on missed lessons at a time when £200 million is reportedly being spent on a yacht.
Robert Halfon, chairman of the Education Select Committee, said the Treasury can “find the money from the back of the sofa” where there is the political will.
His comments came after the catch-up tsar Sir Kevan Collins resigned over the Government’s £1.4 billion education recovery fund on Wednesday evening, which he said “falls far short of what is needed”.
Catch-up funding per pupil:
— Angela Rayner (@AngelaRayner) June 2, 2021
?? £2,500
?? £1,600
?? £50
Oh, and the National Tutoring Programme will be run by an international outsourcing company so those £ will disappear into the pockets of the shareholders of Randstad instead of helping our kids catch up with lost learning.
Catch-up funding per pupil:
— Angela Rayner (@AngelaRayner) June 2, 2021
?? £2,500
?? £1,600
?? £50
Oh, and the National Tutoring Programme will be run by an international outsourcing company so those £ will disappear into the pockets of the shareholders of Randstad instead of helping our kids catch up with lost learning.
In his resignation statement, Sir Kevan said the package of support is “too narrow, too small and will be delivered too slowly”.
The Department for Education’s (DfE) programme includes £1 billion to support up to six million 15-hour tutoring courses for disadvantaged pupils, as well as an expansion of the 16-19 tuition fund.
A further £400 million will go towards providing high-quality training for early years practitioners and school teachers to ensure children progress.
It has been previously reported Sir Kevan called for £15 billion of funding and 100 extra hours of teaching per pupil, rather than the £1.4 billion additional money announced by the Government.
Reactions
1.
Margaret Thatcher snatched schoolchildren’s milk. @BorisJohnson is snatching schoolchildren’s futures.
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) June 3, 2021
2.
Catch-up funding per pupil:
— Angela Rayner (@AngelaRayner) June 2, 2021
?? £2,500
?? £1,600
?? £50
Oh, and the National Tutoring Programme will be run by an international outsourcing company so those £ will disappear into the pockets of the shareholders of Randstad instead of helping our kids catch up with lost learning.
3.
Catch-up funding per pupil:
— Angela Rayner (@AngelaRayner) June 2, 2021
?? £2,500
?? £1,600
?? £50
Oh, and the National Tutoring Programme will be run by an international outsourcing company so those £ will disappear into the pockets of the shareholders of Randstad instead of helping our kids catch up with lost learning.
4.
Catch-up funding per pupil:
— Angela Rayner (@AngelaRayner) June 2, 2021
?? £2,500
?? £1,600
?? £50
Oh, and the National Tutoring Programme will be run by an international outsourcing company so those £ will disappear into the pockets of the shareholders of Randstad instead of helping our kids catch up with lost learning.
5.
Catch-up funding per pupil:
— Angela Rayner (@AngelaRayner) June 2, 2021
?? £2,500
?? £1,600
?? £50
Oh, and the National Tutoring Programme will be run by an international outsourcing company so those £ will disappear into the pockets of the shareholders of Randstad instead of helping our kids catch up with lost learning.
6.
nothing says prioritising children’s education like comparing it to a rummage among cushions for some crisps at the corner shop https://t.co/dJ8pdm8c4l
— Toby Earle (@TobyonTV) June 3, 2021
7.
nothing says prioritising children’s education like comparing it to a rummage among cushions for some crisps at the corner shop https://t.co/dJ8pdm8c4l
— Toby Earle (@TobyonTV) June 3, 2021
8.
nothing says prioritising children’s education like comparing it to a rummage among cushions for some crisps at the corner shop https://t.co/dJ8pdm8c4l
— Toby Earle (@TobyonTV) June 3, 2021
9.
nothing says prioritising children’s education like comparing it to a rummage among cushions for some crisps at the corner shop https://t.co/dJ8pdm8c4l
— Toby Earle (@TobyonTV) June 3, 2021
10.
This Tory is still talking about levelling up poor kids after her party tried to deprive them of school meals, gave their top grades to private schools, deprived their parents of furlough til London needed it, and is now giving them 10% of the recommended teaching funding.#BBCqt pic.twitter.com/XE7m4uOI4s
— Femi (@Femi_Sorry) June 3, 2021
11.
This Tory is still talking about levelling up poor kids after her party tried to deprive them of school meals, gave their top grades to private schools, deprived their parents of furlough til London needed it, and is now giving them 10% of the recommended teaching funding.#BBCqt pic.twitter.com/XE7m4uOI4s
— Femi (@Femi_Sorry) June 3, 2021
12.
Coming up with just 10% of what the Govt's own education recovery tsar recommended is an insult to a generation of schoolchildren who've missed so much learning in past year
— Caroline Lucas (@CarolineLucas) June 2, 2021
It should be the Education Secretary who resigns, not the recovery tsarhttps://t.co/83g0DVX76H
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