School days ‘will be extended’ and teachers will get a pay rise under new plans UK News

Schoolchildren may need to stay in class for an additional 30 minutes in an effort to make up for missed instruction due to Covid lockouts, according to reports.

Ministers are considering a £ 15 billion plan to help students make up for lost time in classrooms amid disruption due to coronavirus restrictions, in a proposal revealed by The Times.

The proposal says the UK government will require children to stay in school for an additional two and a half hours each week from 2022, which would equate to 100 additional hours of instruction per year.

It was reported earlier this year that the school day could be extended to help students catch up, School Standards Minister Nick Gibb saying this was one of the options being considered by Sir Kevan Collins, the government minister for the revival of education.

“I am open to any ideas, we must do nothing to make sure we can help these young people recover from the lost education,” Gibb told the Commons education committee.

Teachers could receive salary increases for overtime

Teacher training, mentoring and staff salary increases are mentioned in the proposal.

Officials are also reportedly considering an extra year of study for sixth-graders if they fail to complete their classes or classes on time.

The Times said the 56-page proposal was “90% complete” on April 15, while a government source told the publication nothing had changed since then.

And insiders have claimed Prime Minister Boris Johnson has already been briefed on the document and is set to give it the green light.

The unions had previously warned that such plans could put additional pressure on teachers who are already working long hours.

Kevin Courtney, Deputy General Secretary of the National Education Union, said: “Any proposal to change schedules or vacations will have to take into account that teachers already work more unpaid overtime than any other profession, and that excessive workload is the reason many teachers and school leaders quit teaching. ”

Pupils in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales were out of school during the new national lockdown, but returned at different times earlier this year.