Conservatives are committed to boosting education after pandemic | Suella Braverman MP

Whether it was on my ‘zooming’ into Hot Choc at Cams Hill (a weekly celebration of pupil success) or my visit to St Antony’s Catholic Primary School to watch the end of year ‘passing out’, or my discussions with teachers at Harrison Primary, it is clear that our local teachers and parents have dedicated themselves selflessly to our children.

While the familiar buzz of break-time chatter has now returned to our schools, it remains of paramount importance that the sacrifices made by our children are recognised.

It is so important that the appropriate resources are in place to help them fulfil their unlimited potential.

By pledging an additional £1.4bn to radically expand the provision of tutoring – on top of the £1.7bn already announced since the start of the pandemic to help children catch-up – this government has reaffirmed its commitment to a long-term, evidence-based education recovery plan.

As part of this next step, £1bn will support up to six million, 15-hour tutoring courses for disadvantaged school children.

This will transform the availability and approach to tuition in Fareham schools over the next three years, by ensuring extra support for those who need it.

Significantly, one course of high-quality tutoring has been proven to boost attainment by as much as three to five months.

This will be vital for young people in Fareham in recovering the teaching hours lost during the pandemic.

The remaining £400m will provide world-leading training and support to early years practitioners and 500,000 school teachers across the country.

Schools and colleges in Fareham will also be funded to give some year 13 students the option to repeat their final year.

Ultimately, we must ensure that no child is left behind.

I am proud that this government has always acted swiftly to minimise the impact of the pandemic on pupils’ education.

That has ranged from providing free laptops – which when added together would weigh heavier than almost 200 elephants – or supporting the Oak National Academy to provide online video lessons.

This latest announcement is just the nextstep in a comprehensive programme of recovery.

It should give parents across Fareham immense confidence that their children have all the tools they need to excel.