We have to help children as much as we can as they return to school

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With school starting soon I keep hearing this idea of “plugging gaps” and “catching up” for young children. Perhaps my view is controversial, or perhaps I’m missing something, but it just sounds forced.

These children don’t have gaps. There’s nothing to catch up to. They’ve had a different experience of school than most. But that doesn’t mean they have missed out. They are still capable, curious, learners, and probably more resilient than most! I feel that being a child and hearing you need to “catch up” and being told “you have gaps” is damaging to their mental health.

They won’t be behind. They won’t miss their potential. Not if we support them, help them continue to learn. The information isn’t going anywhere. They can still learn what’s on the curriculum, perhaps not when originally intended, but they can.

I don’t say all this to devalue schools. But they are not the only place where learning happens. Ask any teacher and they’ll tell you the value of real world experience, informal learning, and the value of input at home. These children are not behind. Their learning has just been different.

One day these children may be parents. They may be sending children of their own off to school. Their children might not want to go to school and this generation will be able to tell them about the six months they had off, how it was nothing to envy and not something to wish for. They won’t tell them they stopped learning, that they had fallen behind or had gaps in their learning.

They’ll remember staying inside and not seeing friends, but they wouldn’t be able to tell you where learning starts and ends. This is their one and only time at school. They haven’t done it before and won’t do it again. If we show them support now, they will be better equipped to show support then. What could have been doesn’t matter. What can be, does.

Cathleen Presland

London

Talking sense

I did not, I confess, vote for Ed Davey in the Liberal Democrat leadership contest, but I must say that I wholeheartedly approve of his words in his recent interview.

The “culture war” over laborious topics such as songs being sung is unnecessary and, as Davey notes, deliberately divisive. He also rightly says that we mustn’t allow the hard-right populists who lead this country – with Dominic Cummings and Boris Johnson at the helm of this shoddy government – to continue to sow the seeds of bitter, angry, nationalism.

Let’s focus on the issues that actually matter.

Sebastian Monblat

London

Lazy language

Rebecca Tidy quite rightly draws attention to the language used around cancer. For years those with cancer and those working with it have called for a stop to the “battling” metaphors.

It is part of a widespread use of cliches by too many writers. People are always “rushed” to hospital with “massive” strokes or because they are “heavily” pregnant.

Prices are “hiked” and buildings “torn” down – I suppose it’s a lazy way of trying to introduce drama into everyday situations.

Anthony Ingleton

Sheffield

Plastic ambition

While raising the price of a plastic bag to 10p “may” help reduce their use, surely the best thing would be to ban them?

Peter Stubly does not suggest this has been put forward as an option. I, like many others I’m sure, would welcome a ban on all single-use plastics.

Ninette Hartley

Bridport

Aim high

Colin Drury informs us that “the UK has now entered the most severe recession currently being experienced by any G7 country off the back of coronavirus”.

So not quite “world-beating” yet. But come the full impact of Brexit it won’t be long. Show ‘em Boris.

G Forward

Stirling

Presidential values

In his speech at the Republican national congress, Donald Trump said: “Your vote will decide whether we protect law-abiding Americans or whether we give free rein to violent anarchists, agitators and criminals who threaten our citizens.”

Does he realise that this is the perfect endorsement for his opponent?

Charles Wood

Birmingham