LEVELLING UP
An enriching education is vital to social mobility. It aids academic progress but also helps to build the cultural capital that is fundamental in later life. Yet too often the benefits that come from enrichment are not felt by those who could be helped most. To make matters worse, schools up and down the country are cutting back their enrichment offer in the face of rising costs. The new Government is right to refer to education as the closest thing to a silver bullet. But if this is to be the case, they need to be supporting schools to get the best out of their pupils. School enrichment needs to be part of the solution
Francesca Fraser
We need our schools to be better. The disadvantage gap has scarcely closed in recent decades and young people are leaving school without the cultural capital that is vital for their futures. A structured programme of school enrichment is proven to help improve academic attainment and build the soft skills that employers are after and children need.
Despite this those who could benefit most from school enrichment often aren’t offered the chance:
School budgets are stretched. Rising inflation, higher energy bills and teacher salaries leave little resources to dedicate to enrichment activities. Where additional funding is provided it is often used to fill existing holes in school budgets rather than for the desired purpose.
Enrichment is most effective when it is fully timetabled as an additional lesson in the school day. But teachers are already working long hours, especially outside of lesson time. Any attempt to lengthen the school day cannot happen without addressing workforce constraints
Take up of after school activities is typically lower among children from poorer families, due to both logistical constraints and constrained parental support.
School budgets are stretched. Rising inflation, higher energy bills and teacher salaries leave little resources to dedicate to enrichment activities. Where additional funding is provided it is often used to fill existing holes in school budgets rather than for the desired purpose.
Enrichment is most effective when it is fully timetabled as an additional lesson in the school day. But teachers are already working long hours, especially outside of lesson time. Any attempt to lengthen the school day cannot happen without addressing workforce constraints
Take up of after school activities is typically lower among children from poorer families, due to both logistical constraints and constrained parental support.
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