FEATURE FOCUS: SUMMER LEARNING LOSS
Making this preparation part of the usual school calendar will help to ensure the majority of children are much more at ease when the new term begins.
long distances to access these facilities. Summer holiday clubs can teach collaboration, build character and help to develop creativity. Time spent with extended family and older relatives can also play a valuable role as the children learn skills for interacting with a range of different people and learn how to behave in different situations. This valuable time can be used as a positive factor so that children spend quality time with family, explore new places and learn vital life skills to help them to become better communicators and better citizens as they approach the next stage in their education.
It may be time to shift our focus from trying to tackle this as a problem, and try to see the positivity from it. A transitional period back in September where assessments do not take place immediately may be of benefit to both staff and children – resetting the usual routines and expectations for being at school are important but even more so is settling in. Just as children need time to transition between lessons, they will also need time to shift from family-based and independent experiences to the structure of the school day. Pupils need to feel safe and secure before any meaningful learning can take place.
Summer learning loss vs Covid learning loss Interestingly since the return to in person education post-Covid lockdowns, there has been an increase in the desire to clarify the difference between summer learning loss and Covid learning loss and the implications of both. Lockdown learning loss was over differing amounts of time for different groups of students (some were invited back to schools at different times depending on age/year group, whether their parents were key workers and level of vulnerability. The lockdowns also had wide- reaching mental health implications on children and families which was different to that which happens on a yearly basis each summer. Children and families did not have the same opportunities on offer during the lockdown periods as they may have access to during a summer holiday and this affected all families regardless of socio-economic background. At a time when schools have only just begun to plug the learning gaps that appeared as a result of the pandemic, there is additional pressure to minimise the effect of summer learning loss as the new school year begins. Children need to be encouraged to enjoy their learning, in whatever form it takes place, to supplement the learning going on in school and help teachers to bridge the gaps and move children’s learning forwards, both academically and socially.
If you’d like to get in touch with Rebecca to find out more about her tuition business, please email her at
rsmithwritingandediting@gmail.com or find her on Facebook at
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www.education-today.co.uk
July/August 2023
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