London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Jul 13, 2025

UK mulls emergency education plan as 200,000+ primary school students lack basic reading skills after Covid-19 lockdowns

UK mulls emergency education plan as 200,000+ primary school students lack basic reading skills after Covid-19 lockdowns

London is working on a ‘catch-up’ education plan as hundreds of thousands of primary school children are struggling with basic reading and writing following months of Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns, government sources told the Times.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will launch a four-year emergency plan to tackle the looming illiteracy crisis, the Times reported on Sunday. The problem appears to be so dire it has become the prime minister’s second priority after the vaccination campaign, and will remain in the government’s focus until at least the next election, according to senior government sources and internal data seen by the paper.

The series of lockdowns implemented to stem the spread of Covid-19 apparently took a toll on the nation’s education, as more than 200,000 children who are about to move from primary to secondary schools are facing reading challenges. According to government figures, the number of students struggling with reading has risen by at least 30,000 over the past year.

A report by the children’s commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, showed that on average each student lost roughly 19 weeks of in-person schooling over the course of the pandemic until March 8. “We asked children to make a huge sacrifice to help control the virus and now we need to give them something back,” de Souza said as she called for a “supercharged educational catch-up.”

Johnson himself already expressed concern over the growing education crisis at a press conference on March 23. “It’s the loss of learning for so many children and young people that’s the thing we’ve got to focus on now as a society,” he said at that time. The prime minister also called education his “legacy issue.”

It is unclear when the government will officially present its plan on dealing with this issue, but the Times sources said that Johnson will deliver what they called a blunt assessment of the social impact of the pandemic in May. His address is expected at some point after the Queen’s speech at the opening of Parliament on May 11.

The UK ‘education recovery’ czar, Sir Kevan Collins, is currently looking for a remedy to save the nation from the looming crisis. Collins is leading the review of the effect Covid-19 has had on schoolchildren, and his plan reportedly involves deploying a “citizens’ army” of substitute and former teachers, as well as university students, to help children catch up.

The UK government is reportedly prepared to spend billions on small group tutoring as well as after-school and holiday clubs, which would essentially mean extending learning hours.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson also said on Saturday that British teachers would need to undergo extra training to help children catch up with the months of lessons they lost. The catch-up plan would likely involve an opportunity for teachers to earn more by working longer hours, but the government does not plan to force them to do so.

The government already poured £1 billion ($1.38 billion) into a catch-up fund in June 2020 to pay for extra tutoring, but it turned out the aid was not reaching the most disadvantaged families. The campaign was also criticized for the extensive focus on private tutoring and online lessons instead of hiring additional teachers.

The new initiative also met some resentment, with Patrick Roach, the general secretary of the NASUWT – the UK’s largest teaching union – urging the government to hire more education specialists instead of increasing the burden on those who already work.

“Our members must not be coerced into working longer hours or delivering summer schools in order to deliver on the government’s short-term fixes,” he said. “Instead, we want government to... come forward with a credible plan to recruit more teachers and support staff and other children’s service professionals.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
×