Sixty staff at a Hove secondary welcomed 360 pupils for “catch up” lessons at a Saturday school today (Saturday 13 March).
Cardinal Newman Catholic School has opened its doors over the weekend to exam students in years 10, 11, and 12 who have been learning from home during the coronavirus pandemic.
The move is part of the government’s “Catch Up” initiative to help them with work that they may have missed as part of their A level, GCSE and BTEC studies.
The school said: “Newman Extra Saturday School has been set up using the government catch up grant, issued to schools nationwide to help close the learning gap caused by the pandemic.
“This Saturday, 360 students and 60 members of staff came into school as part of the initiative.”
Head of college Paul Miller said: “Learning isn’t just about grades. It’s about being equipped for the next phase of life, whether that is university or the world of work.
“This extra time of learning will enable our students to go on from here feeling confident, prepared and properly equipped for whatever path they take when they leave us.
“We have had an overwhelmingly positive response to the Saturday school and applaud our students’ work ethic and our staff’s dedication to ensuring that a Newman student leaves us the best they can be.
“We have always maintained a positive, friendly, productive atmosphere here at the college and that was no different today.
“Ultimately, we are all here because we love our subjects and so do our students. They are keen to learn and we can’t ask more from them than that.”
The school also quoted a parent as saying: “Big thank you to Newman College staff for coming in Saturdays to help students catch up. Very welcome for my daughter.”
And it quoted a year 11 students as saying: “It was good. It helped me feel less worried about my work.”
