Include the arts in catch-up plans for pupils, says Education Tsar

Drama, sport and artistic pursuits should be included in the drive to fill gaps in children’s education created by the pandemic, says new ‘education recovery’ commissioner Sir Kevan Collins.

These subjects, he said, “really matter and they’re aligned to success in academic skills.”

As plans for summer schools and an extended school day start to take shape, he warns against simply “tagging on an extra lesson”, saying this is not a creative way of thinking.

He said: "I think we need to think about the extra hours not only for learning, but for children to be together, to play, to engage in competitive sport, for music, for drama because these are critical areas which have been missed in their development."