Summer Catch-Up Classes

70 pupils from local state schools sign up for a fortnight of free lessons

Hampton School is running a two-week, summer catch-up programme for Year 10 pupils from local maintained schools who have been particularly impacted by school site closures since March during the Covid-19 pandemic.

70 pupils due to sit GCSE examinations next year will benefit from specialist taught lessons in English, Maths, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Geography, and History.

There is growing evidence to suggest that many young people have struggled to study during lockdown for a variety of reasons.  In an effort to help youngsters from local partner schools catch up on key parts of the curriculum before they start their final year of GCSE study, teachers from Hampton and neighbouring Lady Eleanor Holles School are offering daily lessons for boys and girls from Twickenham School, Reach Academy, The Hollyfield School, Orleans Park School and Tolworth Girls’ School.

Mark Nicholson, Assistant Head at Hampton School and coordinator of the catch-up sessions, hopes that the pupils involved will get a welcome pre-September boost from their participation:

Through no fault of their own, many young people have found it hard to maintain their studies over recent months and we have designed this catch-up programme to help pupils get back on track ahead of the new School year in September. We have liaised with the schools involved to understand better which areas of the curriculum need addressing to help ensure that the boys and girls involved can begin their crucial GCSE year with greater confidence.

Headteacher at nearby Twickenham School, Assal Ruse, has 28 Year 10 pupils participating in the catch-up programme. She says:

Next year is such an important academic year and our students jumped at the opportunity of attending this summer school. The programme has been designed to address the needs of all students, considering exam specifications for each subject and where individual students are in their learning. Our students have worked hard throughout lockdown and these superb catch-up sessions offer them an opportunity to consolidate all their learning with the help of specialist teaching by staff who have given up their summer holidays to ensure students are given this opportunity.

Safety measures following Government guidance have been put in place to make the sessions Covid-secure, including pupils from each participating school being taught in their own separate ‘bubble’.