LEARNING GAP
Bridging the “summer learning gap”: the importance of keeping children in ’learning mode’
With this in mind, here are some top tips to help bridge the gap, and encourage learning during the holidays:
Kerry Targett I Fleur Sexton
n our second feature this month on the “summer learning gap”, we hear from Kerry Targett, headteacher at St. Andrew’s CE School, Croydon, and Fleur Sexton, a former teacher, joint managing director of PET-Xi, a national training provider working with hundreds of schools across the UK to deliver intensive, immersive, motivational and inspirational interventions that have a positive impact on learner progress.
For Kerry Targett, while the issue has been widely acknowledged and it can be a concern to teachers, all is not lost – there are a number of fun activities parents can undertake inside and outside the home to make sure that all their children’s hard work doesn’t go to waste over the summer.
“The “summer learning loss”, or children’s loss of knowledge and academic skills, has long been a challenge associated with the beloved summer holidays. Although there are various reasons why education levels vary between children, it has been widely suggested that the long summer period away from school affects children’s retention of knowledge, with up to 2 months of maths and reading abilities lost each year (Gershenson and Hayes, 2016). “While it would be mean, if not cruel, to suggest that children should spend their whole summer learning, the balance between work and play should be met. Filling the break with playful opportunities to learn will of course help to reduce the loss of knowledge during this period.
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www.education-today.co.uk July/August 2017
Summer camps and workshops “Check out the summer camps or workshops in your local area as often, these can be a great way to increase a child’s engagement with learning as well as boosting additional skills. Meeting new people and interacting with others in a fun and engaging environment, will mean that children are not only learning, but also developing broader communication skills and building their confidence.
“It’s also worth speaking to your local schools to see if they offer any opportunities for extended learning. For example, at St Andrews, we run a summer school for our new year 7 students to help them familiarise themselves with the school, refresh their skills and update their learning ahead
of starting with us. We will also did this with year 10 students last year to support their transition into year 11 and help them recall important information, which proved to be very beneficial.
Visiting the library
“Reading may often be viewed as a ‘task’ that should be completed within schools, with little enjoyment or interesting fictional content. However, visiting the library can be a great exploration tool. Not only do libraries allow children to explore hundreds of topics and interests through reading, improving their literacy skills, but quite often they also now provide educational workshops and events for children to get involved with. Check out your local library for what’s coming up this summer!
Activities at home “If activities and workshops aren’t really your
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