Schools will receive a further £300 million of “new money” to cover catch-up tutoring costs, the prime minister has announced.

Delivering a statement on schools in the House of Commons this afternoon, Boris Johnson said the government will also “work in collaboration with the education sector to develop, as appropriate, specific initiatives for summer schools, and a Covid premium to support catch-up”.

The government will also continue to provide free meals for children not in school.

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Mr Johnson said: “As we’re extending the period of remote learning beyond the middle of February, I can confirm that the government will prolong arrangements for providing free school meals for those eligible children not in school, including food parcels and the national voucher scheme, until they’ve returned to the classroom.

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“We can also commit now that, as we did this financial year, we will provide a programme of catch-up over the next financial year. And this will involve a further £300 million of new money to schools for tutoring.

“And we will work in collaboration with the education sector to develop, as appropriate, specific initiatives for summer schools, and a Covid premium to support catch-up.”