Anne Longfield, Former England Commissioner for Children, Calls for More Funding for School Reclamation Yorkshire News

When approached by this newspaper, the Treasury refused to establish the value for money criterion used by the Chancellor, who is the deputy from Richmond in North Yorkshire, to decide on the level of funding and how it differs from the proposal presented by Sir Kevan.

But Ms. Longfield, 60, who lives in Ilkley, said The Yorkshire Post there was a real risk that thousands of children across the North would be “forgotten” due to “insufficient” funds to help children catch up.

Ms Longfield, who has been an active advocate for children’s rights in the north of England during her time as Commissioner for Children, said: “Parents know how much their children have lost in the last year and how much it will cost them. to catch up on school work and recover from emotional damage.

“That is why they hope that the prime minister will change his mind about his government’s support for educational recovery and that he will support children and families with funds for extracurricular activities, pastoral care and help in the early years.”

Ms. Longfield added: “Families living in areas where infections have been highest, many of which are in the north, know that their children face a particular challenge.

“They need the Prime Minister to understand how much their children have suffered and to be there now to provide financial support to help them catch up and move forward.”

Northern education leaders have said that there is a risk that an achievement gap that is already widening between students in the North and those in London will widen even further because there is such a high proportion of students from disadvantaged backgrounds across the entire school. region.

A leading Leeds academic said that a long-term investment from birth in the region is also needed to address the glaring educational inequalities in the region that start from the birth of a child.

Dr Catherine Davies, Associate Professor of Language Development at the University of Leeds, highlighted new research from the university that reveals that a child who regularly attended two days a week during confinement learned an average of 48 new words more than they did not, and the effect was most pronounced among children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Dr Davies said: “The youngest children in our education systems should not be forgotten when the government allocates funds for COVID recovery.

“The skills and experiences that early childhood education nurtures in children are the foundation for success during their time in school and beyond.

“A significant investment must be made to ensure that children have access to premium quality education and care, particularly those who come from disadvantaged backgrounds and bear the brunt of the impact.”

Dr Helen Rafferty, Acting Executive Director of the Leeds-based charity SHINE, added: “A substantial long-term investment is needed to ensure that all children have the same opportunities in life, regardless of background or background. where they live.

It requires a significant investment, well above what has been confirmed so far, and a fundamental change in the way education is financed to ensure that children in the most deprived areas of the north are not left behind. “

While a major teachers union has called on the government to implement an “ambitious” long-term plan to rebuild the nation’s education.

The National Directors Union (NAHT) is urging Boris Johnson to consider his seven-point recovery plan released this month to prioritize the early years; improve support for mental health and well-being and invest in the teaching profession.

Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the school leaders union, NAHT, said: “What we have seen from the government so far is well below average, in terms of its speed of response, the scope of its ambition and the depth of his pockets

“The recovery of education cannot be done cheaply, but as things stand, that is exactly what the government is proposing.”

A spokesman for the Prime Minister said: “Since taking office, the Prime Minister has committed additional investment in education totaling more than £ 17 billion by leveling out school funding across England, investing in the teaching workforce and start a tutoring revolution to help students catch up on learning missed due to the pandemic. “

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