FEATURE FOCUS: SUMMER LEARNING GAP
Bridging the summer learning gap I
t’s important that children keep learning over the summer break, but this doesn’t have to be at the loss of summer fun. Little and often is a great way of keeping learning topped up. Charlotte Gater, Head of Education at Explore Learning, highlights the impact that just a small amount of carefully structured learning can have on a child’s readiness to return to school.
Should children study during the summer break? It’s a hot topic of debate between parents, children and educators. As the final days of term wind down, switching off is on everyone’s minds and children absolutely should enjoy the long, heady days of holidays. However, switching off from learning completely can make the return to school in September even more challenging. There are varying points of view, but multiple research points suggest that students typically lose between one to two months of reading and maths skills during the summer break – the summer slide is more pronounced in maths and English than other topics. This loss is also particularly noticeable among students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, who may not have the same access to activities over the summer holidays as their peers.
32
www.education-today.co.uk July/August 2025
Luckily, there are plenty of ways to strike a balance between rest and recuperation and keeping the brain active.
Scientific research shows that our brain acts like a muscle – you either use it or lose it! Think of learning maths and English in the way you would a sport. No matter how hard you work on your chosen sport, if you do nothing
for six weeks, it will take time to get back to your previous standard. The learning process is the same; keeping up the momentum and engaging the brain during the summer break is essential to ensuring that children are in the best position when they return to school n September.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40
