A huge majority of parents favour ‘catch up’ policies that would improve their children’s wellbeing, research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies has shown.

Simply reopening the school gates will not be enough on its own; addressing the consequences of the pandemic is set to be the most important challenge in education policy over the coming years.

IFS surveyed almost 6,000 parents of school-aged children in England during the last week of February and found that while support for academic catch up policies (and particularly tutoring) is also high, support for policies that would see children spending more time in the classroom – such as longer, school days, summer school, extended school terms, or repeating school years – is below half.

Of the 83 per cent who supported policies aimed at children’s well-being, the largest share believed that in-class activities (such as arts, creative writing or spending time outdoors) would make the biggest difference. Around a quarter of parents prioritised greater access to mental health services. However, only 12 per cent thought that unstructured socialisation time (aka play) should be the top priority.

More on this story is on the IFS website here.