£1.3 million proposed to help students disadvantaged by pandemic

The funds, which have been proposed within the Government Plan for 2021, will be used to provide tutoring sessions to students as well as to provide additional training for teachers.

The Department for Children, Young People, Education and Skills (CYPES) has set out the proposals after investigating the impact of home learning on students and their families between March and July, when schools were forced to close to physical attendance in classroom due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Its recommendations, which have been published in ‘A Report Investigating the Impact of Learning at Home on Jersey Pupils as a result of School Closures: March to July 2020’ are based on a survey of nearly 2,000 parents and pupils as well as the findings of pupil focus groups and the views of headteachers and teachers.

If the Government Plan is approved by States Members next month (December 14), CYPES will distribute £1 million to Government non fee-paying schools to roll out the tutoring programme. 

The amount of funding allocated to each school has been calculated based on the number of students on roll who have English as an additional language, have Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, or are eligible for Jersey Premium. These pupils were identified within the report as being most disadvantaged by the enforced move to home learning.

Tutoring will be open to all students in Years 1 to 11 who have been identified by their school as requiring additional support. Primary school pupils will receive tutoring in English and mathematics, while secondary school students will receive support in English, mathematics and science. 

Meanwhile, if the Government Plan is approved, funding of £300,000 will also be used to provide additional training for teachers. 

The Minister for Education, Senator Tracey Vallois, said: “Despite the tremendous and innovative work by teaching staff during lockdown, the pandemic posed enormous challenges for students and their families. I’m grateful for the team at CYPES for their work in not only identifying which students were adversely impacted by the Coronavirus crisis, but also setting out a series of recommendations that we can act upon.

“Nothing can replace the high-quality teaching provision we have in Jersey. The aim of the tutoring programme is to address the loss of schooling our young people have suffered by providing tuition for those pupils who have been identified as requiring extra support. The aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic is still being felt, but I’m confident that this proposed plan will help students get back on track with their education.”

A link to the full report is available on the Government of Jersey website.