Turton High School boosts Covid learning support for pupils

Turton High School introduced a “Year 6.5” support programme three years ago to help pupils entering Year 7 with weaker literacy and numeracy skills from missing out.

Now, staff say demand for the extra support has led to plans to expand the scheme from September.

Laura Bryant, a teacher who is part of bridging these gaps, said some children were still feeling the effects of disrupted learning years after lockdowns ended.

Laura Bryant, who bridges learning gaps from the pandemic, and Alice Lane, Deputy Headteacher. (Image: NQ)

Ms Bryant said: “When children returned to school, they then obviously had gaps in their learning.

“Primary schools did their absolute best to try and plug those gaps. But then inevitably there’s been that lag and gaps that have appeared in children’s learning.”

The specialist support programme sees selected pupils spend part of their week in mainstream Year 7 lessons and part in smaller sessions focused on rebuilding missed knowledge from primary school.

Year 8 pupil Sadie Flitcroft said lessons during lockdown were more difficult because children were learning remotely.

She said: “In maths and English, it was harder. You can’t really hear them as well because of computer speakers.

Alice Lane, Deputy Headteacher, Sadie Flitcroft, Laura Bryant and Jackson Brierley. (Image: NQ)

“Some things, because of Covid, we didn’t learn in primary. But then, when we were introduced to this, we really learned everything.”

She added that being placed in the additional learning, away from her usual friendship group, had initially been difficult.

Sadie added: “I didn’t get put in it with any friends, but I made more friends by not having any because we became really good friends with most of the girls.”

Year 9 pupil Vinny Rimmer said the support had helped improve his confidence in lessons.

He said: “My maths got way better. My reading got better.

Year nine pupils Georgia Walmsley and Vinny Rimmer were the first to join the original classes. (Image: NQ)

“Because you were only in Year 5 and Year 6 during Covid, you didn’t know everything then, and you didn’t have that support from the teachers.”

Staff said the approach was designed to help pupils catch up academically without affecting friendships or confidence during the move to secondary school.

The school, which has around 1,600 pupils, works closely with primary schools to identify children who may benefit from the scheme before they move up to Year 7.

Ms Bryant said: “This HUB provision that we’ve got is that stepping stone for these children to build up their confidence, to step back into the curriculum, and so that they can then be successful as they then go throughout the rest of Key Stage 3.”

Teachers said some pupils had previously become disengaged after struggling with the jump from primary to secondary education.

Year nine pupils Georgia Walmsley and Vinny Rimmer with Ms Bryant. (Image: NQ)

Staff also said they were continuing to see issues linked to missed classroom learning during the pandemic, including difficulties with handwriting, maths and reading analogue clocks.

The school is currently interviewing candidates for the new role, with the successful applicant expected to start in September.

One senior member of staff said bringing in teachers with different backgrounds could help schools develop new approaches to learning support.

They said: “I think it’s something that we would always invite — new specialisms or someone with just a different slant on something.”