Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministerial Statement

Education Catch-Up Programme

17 March 2022 · 4 other contributors

Opened by Robert Halfon Con East Ham

Education

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Robert Halfon raised concerns about education catch-up programme in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.

Key points

  • The Minister of State, Department for Education, Robert Halfon, welcomed the Government's expenditure of 5 billion on the catch-up programme
  • The statement highlighted that disadvantaged pupils have suffered most severely, with some being up to eight months behind their affluent peers
  • Regional disparities were also noted, with significant differences in learning loss between regions

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Government Statement

Robert Halfon

The Minister of State, Department for Education, Robert Halfon, welcomed the Government's expenditure of £5 billion on the catch-up programme but emphasised the need for more targeted efforts to assist children in recovering from the pandemic. The statement highlighted that disadvantaged pupils have suffered most severely, with some being up to eight months behind their affluent peers. Regional disparities were also noted, with significant differences in learning loss between regions like Yorkshire and the Humber compared to the south-west. Additionally, persistent absence rates rose to 16.3% among secondary school students by December 2020, impacting almost half a million pupils. Concerns were raised about the National Tutoring Programme (NTP), which had reached only 15% of its target. The minister advocated for greater support in young people's mental health and proposed recommendations including more reliable data, simplifying catch-up funding to benefit schools, piloting schemes for extended school days, introducing a social media levy, and urgent steps to address persistent absence issues.

Other contributors (4)
  • Karin Smyth Lab Bristol South

    Question

    How can we support the Government in simplifying funding mechanisms within the catch-up programme, recognising that schools are best placed to lead this recovery?

    Minister reply

    Robert Halfon suggested that funds should be given directly to schools for them to spend on catch-up programmes as they see fit. He emphasised the current complexity and bureaucracy surrounding different funding streams, which hinders effective use of resources.

  • Kim Johnson Lab Liverpool Riverside

    Question

    It is a real privilege to serve under the chairmanship of the right hon. Member for Harlow (Robert Halfon) on the Education Committee. As we know, Kevan Collins recommended £15 billion to meet the needs of catch-up, and the £5 billion that is available falls far short of that. The fact is that the national tutoring programme is failing to meet pupils’ needs at the moment. Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that the contract needs to be terminated as soon as possible?

    Minister reply

    I am very close to saying yes, the contract should be terminated. We have said that Randstad should perhaps be given one last chance. The Government made some changes last Friday, but if they announced today that they were terminating the contract with Randstad, I would certainly not be upset. I suspect that most teachers and support staff would not be upset either.

  • Matt Western Lab Warwick and Leamington

    Question

    I thank the Chair and the Select Committee for putting together this report. This is clearly not my specialist subject, as the right hon. Gentleman knows from last week, but it is clearly not Randstad’s either. The entire programme is, as the tutoring providers have said, shambolic and at risk of catastrophic failure. Having sat on Select Committees, I appreciate how words are carefully chosen and I see that the report states on page 30: “It is not clear that the National Tutoring Programme will deliver for the pupils that need it most.” Sometimes words get argued over. Perhaps the right hon. Gentleman could elaborate on that. As I understand it, the requirement that 65% of places should be allocated to children on the pupil premium was dropped. Could he explain a bit more on that?

    Minister reply

    I thank the hon. Gentleman for his questions. On the first point, it is not just our report saying this; the Department for Education itself said in its December report that there were significant problems with the catch-up programme. It is quoted in the report. He may have been reading the direct quote from the Department. I forget whether that was the exact quote, but there was one from the Department itself saying that there were significant problems with the catch-up.

Shadow Comment

Karin Smyth

Karin Smyth acknowledged the Chair of the Select Committee's statement regarding the need to simplify funding mechanisms within the catch-up programme. She questioned how to better support the Government in making these changes and ensuring schools have proper governance structures for recovery efforts.

Get updates like this by email
▸ Assessment & feedback
Summary accuracy