Many pupils find
the move to a bigger school and a more challenging curriculum daunting and this
can lead to falling results and they often never catch up again. To help pupils
who are especially vulnerable to falling behind, those on free school meals
(FSM) or looked-after children, Liberal Democrat Leader and Deputy Prime
Minister, Nick Clegg launched the first Summer Schools programme
today.
Commenting, Ian
Swales MP said:
“These Summer
Schools can be the key to a child’s success in later life. The step from primary
to secondary school can be a really daunting one for many children. If your
confidence is knocked back at this stage, it is difficult to recover as a child
progresses through the school.
“Liberal
Democrats in the Coalition Government have done the right thing by using these
summer schools to prevent people from falling behind rather than trying to help
pupils catch-up after the damage has been done.
“By helping
children and familiarising them with how a secondary schools looks and works,
many of the problems can be tackled and I will be working with schools to make
sure pupils get the most out of the Summer School programme.”
Commenting
further, Nick Clegg said:
“This is £50m
worth of extra brain training giving tens of thousands of disadvantaged pupils a
flying start at secondary school.
“It’s two weeks
in the summer holidays where pupils can catch up on learning and get to grips
with life in secondary school – in short, get in the starting blocks ready for
the off in September.
“Those who
struggle to make the transition are often among the poorest in society, but two
weeks of activities can really help to bridge the gap.
“It’s good news
for mums and dads too – no parent wants their child to be left out and fall
behind. But not everyone has the luxury of taking long periods off work during
the summer break.
“Summer schools
will ensure pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds can start secondary school on
an equal footing with their peers, setting them up to succeed.“
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