Teachers must be paid extra to run summer catch-up classes, urges former Ofsted chief

Michael Wilshaw condemns the “absolutely astonishing” botching of the promise that younger children would return before the holidays

Teachers must be paid extra to run summer catch-up classes, a former schools’ chief inspector says, condemning the government’s failure to reopen primaries.

Michael Wilshaw attacked the “absolutely astonishing” botching of the promise that all younger children would return before the holidays – blaming a split between No 10 and the department for education.

And he said: “I would be appealing to staff to come in over the summer holidays and take catch-up classes for those youngsters who need it,” adding they should be paid more.

“I find it absolutely astonishing that the announcement could be made by the prime minister that all primary schools would open for all children in June without effective consultation,” he added.

If asked, head teachers would have told ministers “this is impossible under the social distancing arrangements that you are insisting upon”, Sir Michael told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“It just smacks of poor organisation and No 10 saying something and the department for education not being properly consulted. The government needs to get its act together.”

Gavin Williamson, the education secretary, is facing a storm of criticism for not only announcing the U-turn on reopening, but failing to set out an alternative plan to stop children falling further behind.

About 700,000 disadvantaged children are not doing homework and did not have proper access to computers or the internet, figures show.

“Why is that we can turn a blind eye to thousands of demonstrators and campaign for pubs and garden centres to reopen, yet it is so hard to reopen our schools?” Robert Halfon, Tory chairman of the education select committee, demanded to know.

Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, piled further pressure on Mr Williamson when he told told Sky News: "I personally think every day our children are not at school is a tragedy. It is obviously going to have an impact on their futures."

And Justine Greening, the former Conservative education secretary, warned hundreds of thousands leaving education this summer could end up unemployed.

“I think many people will be very surprised that there isn't yet a government plan in place to help our schools get back open,” she told ITV's Good Morning Britain.

“And there's also not a government plan in place to help children that have been most affected by the schools’ shutdown to be able to catch up.

“And the big risk for Boris Johnson's government now is that unless they bring forward a proper joined-up strategy, then it won't be a government that delivers levelling up in Britain, it will end up being a government that levels down and nobody wants to see that.”

Sir Michael also warned that, ahead of schools grading pupils unable to sit key exams this summer, that weaker ones had “very unreliable internal assessment systems”.

“The department for education needs to make sure the results given by schools are properly checked and moderated,” he said.

And he again warned some pupils would need to resit a year, adding: “What’s really important is that youngsters don’t lose out – they have one chance at a good education.”