Many students have missed out on a huge amount of education over the last 12 months due to the Covid pandemic. During the first lockdown, schools were simply not set up to execute remote learning and therefore many pupils did little or no schoolwork. During the final lockdown, schools have been able to offer various ways in which pupils can still access online learning such as virtual video lessons or software that allows them to send and receive work digitally.
Even with these additional processes in place, some students if not all, will have fallen behind and the government are looking at ways in which they can help them recover. There are currently a number of different options being considered such as lengthening the school day, running summer schools or shortening holidays. All of these options are going to require teacher and students to be in school for additional time and not everyone agrees that this is the best way forward. Not only have students missed out on their education but there has also been a huge lack of social interaction. For some, this has had an effect on their wellbeing and mental health which is surely more important than education. There needs to be a balance and it is yet to be seen if the right balance is going to be found.