Newcastle Labour is backing urgent action to address the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on children’s education and wellbeing.
School closures, periods of isolation and wider disruption have affected pupils’ learning, friendships and access to support.
The consequences have not been equal. Children without reliable internet access, appropriate digital devices or a quiet place to study have faced additional barriers to learning from home.
Pupils with special educational needs and those requiring pastoral support may also have lost access to important services during periods away from school.
A successful recovery cannot be based upon a single national programme imposed on every child. Schools need the resources and flexibility to respond to the different experiences of their pupils.
That must include properly funded teaching, targeted learning support and help for children’s mental health and emotional wellbeing.
Newcastle’s schools and their staff have worked extraordinarily hard throughout the pandemic, supporting pupils both in classrooms and remotely while responding to changing public-health guidance.
Families have also faced enormous pressure while balancing employment, caring responsibilities and home learning.
Newcastle’s Labour MPs will continue pressing the government for an education recovery programme equal to the scale of the disruption. Our Labour-led council will work with schools and local partners to support children and families.
Recovery must close the inequalities widened during the pandemic rather than allowing disadvantaged pupils to fall further behind.
Catherine McKinnell MP said:
“Children have experienced very different pressures during the pandemic, and recovery cannot be achieved through a one-size-fits-all response. Schools need proper resources to rebuild learning, support pupils’ wellbeing and ensure no child is left behind.”