[News] Independent prep schools say fact that the DfE hasn't approached them for help with summer provision is a 'wasted opportunity'

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Prep schools have written to the government urging it to accept help from the private education sector with summer catch-up provision for pupils.They have offered to open up summer courses and classes to all pupils in their local area.Writing to education secretary Gavin Williamson on Friday, Christopher King, chief executive of the Independent Association of Prep Schools, criticised the lack of a "coherent plan" to ensure a Covid-19 learning gap is closed, and described the fact that the government had not approached his member schools for help as "frustrating".“Despite calls for a national strategy to ensure this [education] gap is closed and that children are returned to school as quickly as possible, no coherent plan has been developed in consultation with teachers, unions and other key stakeholders as yet," he said.He added that the private sector had played a "key role" in the UK's response to the pandemic - for example where private hospitals had helped with bed capacity."Independent schools, including all 607 UK members of IAPS, can play a key role in closing the education gap," he said. "In the same way that our members opened their doors to the children of key workers throughout the lockdown, we can do so again over summer, but this time, to children from all backgrounds.“With campuses located throughout the country, our members could provide catch up courses and classes to all local children. Extending over summer, these courses and classes would be for pupils from Reception through to Year 8 – and importantly, they would be offered at minimal or no cost to parents.”Mr King offered to meet Mr Williamson via video call to discuss his proposal in more detail.“While the private sector cannot solve all the issues at hand, it can make a significant difference to the education of thousands of children throughout the UK – no matter their background," he said.Speaking to Tes, Mr King said the government "haven’t come to us to pick our brains really"."And I think during the period of the lockdown, we demonstrated very clearly that schools are here to support and take a place in the local community through all their support for key workers, and we’ve opened up our schools, and in doing so we’ve built up a lot of expertise on how to run schools safely and effectively.""It’s a wasted opportunity perhaps, as I would see it, so it’s frustrating. We have accumulated experience which is relevant for the moment and we’d be very happy to pass that on," he added.A spokesperson for the Department for Education said: “There is no expectation for schools to stay open over the summer holidays.“Our £1 billion Covid catch-up package will directly tackle the impact of lost teaching time as a result of the pandemic, which headteachers and school leaders have the flexibility to decide how to spend. Some may use this funding to provide summer school activities for their pupils.”