Education recovery commissioner says focus should not be on ‘just more lessons’ for pupils

Sir Kevan Collins tells conference he is interested in broadening experience pupils have in education, Zoe Tidman reports

Sir Kevan Collins says the coronavirus pandemic has posed the biggest disruption to education in potentially the ‘history of English mass education’ (Getty Images)

The education recovery tsar has said the focus following the coronavirus lockdown should not be on “just more lessons” for pupils, amid discussions over how to best help children bounce back from disruption caused by the pandemic.

Sir Kevan Collins, who started the role last month, said it was important to make sure children are in the right emotional and physical state before launching into intensive learning.

His comments come after education secretary Gavin Williamson said the government was looking at a “whole range of proposals” to help children catch-up, including a five-term year and longer school days.