“Some of our students are feeling worried, stressed and anxious, and we know that we can alleviate those feelings going into their next academic year,” says Amy Nelson.

“We’ve got the opportunity to give them a little bit more time, before September comes around, to boost and elevate what they have already learned. It hasn’t been perfect this year, they have got gaps, as every person in the world has got gaps in their lives this year.” 

Nelson is the iLearn lead at Leeds City College. As a department, iLearn helps students to improve their independent and digital skills - and this summer, Nelson and her colleagues are giving up a portion of their holidays to offer additional provision for students who have lost out on learning due to the pandemic.

There has been much debate about Covid catch-up in education this year: how many learners need it, how it should be delivered, and, crucially, how much funding it requires from the government. 

But there has never been any doubt about one thing: students need catch-up provision, and whether it’s with the catch-up funding offered by the government or not, colleges will provide it. And that’s why, across the country, college staff, like those at Leeds City College, are giving up weeks of their holiday to ensure their learners get that support.

“We will do whatever’s right for our students: these students have got to progress next year, we can’t limit them from doing that,” says Tracey Davis, vice-principal of London South East Colleges. 

“It would be wrong for us to progress students without the skills, and we’ve got to develop those skills for them to be able to achieve. We’re all about preparing them for their future destinations and their career goals. It’s a disservice, isn’t it, if we’re not able to give them the skills that they need in order to progress on to their final goal?”

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More: Covid catch-up measures ‘disappointing’, say colleges

Background: Catch-up funding ‘should be targeted at the most deprived’

So how is summer provision working at colleges? How many days, or weeks, are students expected to attend? Which skills will they gain? And, crucially, what will the long-term impact be?

The offer differs from college to college. At Leeds City College, the focus is on life skills over the space of a week. “iLearn Skills Fest” will run twice - one this week, and another in August - and is an interactive conference, with around 40 students taking part in lectures and smaller group sessions, on digital, academic, independent, future and citizenship skills. Each day is dedicated to a different skill, and will finish with a competition in which learners put what they’ve learned into practice. 

At London South East Colleges, functional skills have taken centre stage. The summer school started on 5 July, as soon as the traditional college term ended, and lasts for four weeks. Attendance is compulsory for learners - and the provision is tailored to the specific skills gaps they face. Functional skills exams are taking place every single day of the school - so as soon as a learner passes their exam, they no longer need to attend.

Ayrshire College in Scotland has taken a different approach: provision caters not just for students studying towards an HND in sports coaching at the college, but for primary-aged children in the local community, too. For five weeks, between 10am and 1pm, children take part in sports activities at the college - and are looked after by Ayshire’s students (with the support of full-time staff). The camp gives those on the coaching courses a chance to have real hands-on experience working with young children, and, in turn, gives the children the opportunity to take part in free, outdoor activity. 

Summer holiday catch-up in colleges: how keen are students?

The benefits of all three initiatives are clear to see: but how willing were students to give up their summer holidays?

In Leeds, attendance is optional, and while Nelson says students recognise the importance of getting more skills, there were some who needed a bit of encouragement. 

“There are definitely students who need a little bit of a push. We made it clear that it’s not a punishment, it’s not because you’re falling behind - it’s about elevating yourself a little bit further than you are right now,” she says. “We also asked staff to recommend students, but actually that hasn’t been used, students have volunteered. They are a mixture of students who have been more reserved in the past, and who haven’t openly come for a lot of help, and the students who are highly driven, who really want to get every little nugget of information out of their support staff.”

At London South East Colleges, Davis says the response from students has been mixed. Around 100 to 200 students are attending each day, and provision has been matched as closely as possible to their 2020-21 timetables, to make it as easy as possible for them.

But it’s been a tough year, says Davis. “There’s a lot of students that have really found the year tough, and, physically and mentally, they need a break, which is completely understandable. For other learners, they need to get their English and maths in order to progress next year, so the stakes are really high.”

At Ayrshire, curriculum manager John McTaggart says around 60 to 70 HNC students are taking part during the five weeks. He says the students were happy to sign up - and know what difference it will make to their skills set. Crucially, though, the summer camps also offer a good opportunity for them to bank assessed hours, in case another lockdown happens. 

“These weeks will provide them with a foundation to make their HND course more beneficial because they will have this hands-on experience that they haven’t had during Covid,” he says. 

“We’ve got creative with assessment, and have filmed them throughout the weeks, which can be used as evidence for future assessments. If we go into some sort of lockdown, we’ve got five weeks of our students working with young children between the ages of 5 and 12, so there’s less requirement for us to do hypothetical scenarios.”

The impact on learners 

And although the catch-up provision is still ongoing, McTaggart and Davis say they can already see a tangible difference in their learners.

McTaggart says it’s been brilliant for student relationships. “Yes, things like Teams and Zooms have been a godsend, and have really helped us. But many students had their first year during lockdown, and that’s been tough socially. Two girls became friends on Zoom, met while volunteering and now they’re doing their work together, and meeting outside of class,” he says. “The social aspect of it is brilliant, getting people together. Teams and Zoom are fine, but you can’t beat practical hands-on experience.” 

Davis says the students at London South East Colleges are really benefiting from the small-group coaching -  and the social aspect which comes with that - which is at the centre of summer provision. 

“They’re very used to being in a full class, whether that’s online or face-to-face towards the end, so that personal touch is really helping - it’s very specific to their individual needs, because it’s just looking at the gaps for that individual or small group of learners. You can see the progress from the resits that they’ve been doing - they are gradually getting higher marks each time,” she says.

“English and maths is a challenge for many students, but at least they’re bonding through it, which is great to see. They’ve got new social groups forming, and we’re providing the refreshments so they’re sitting in having lunch together, and I think, from a social benefit, particularly after a really tough lockdown period, it’s really developing their social skills as well.” 

And while Nelson says it’s too early to measure the impact yet, the team are regularly asking for feedback from learners - and will ensure support continues, where needed, in September. 

“We have these diagnostic tests which ask students how they feel about their skill set, which we are taking at various points in the week, to see how much they’ve grown and learned,” she says. 

“We are also encouraging students who attend to book in some one-to-one sessions in the first half term to pick up anything that they’ve learned here that they’re still not sure about, or things that they’re still very worried about.

“A lot of the time, they feel like this year hasn’t been fulfilling, and it’s not necessarily that they haven’t had the teachers - teachers have absolutely done an amazing job this year - but there can be a feeling that they have fallen so far behind, even if it’s not accurate. So, as well as the provision over the holidays, it’s all about making sure that we’ve got touch points prepared and ready for them in September, so they know they’re not alone.”