Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the government announcement of new school and college enrichment benchmarks.
“We welcome the intent behind the government’s plans for more enrichment in schools and colleges and the funding announced. However, as with many other government announcements, there are several question marks over the capacity of schools and colleges to deliver these aspirations.
“Schools and colleges already strive to provide excellent enrichment opportunities to their students, but they have to operate within extremely challenging financial and staffing constraints. Those pressures will not disappear simply because the government announces new policies. It has to focus more on how to turn aspirations into realities, particularly in areas of high disadvantage where these opportunities are most needed.
“We’ll now work with our members to fully understand the implications of the new framework and the resources that will be required to deliver these expectations.
“We all share the ambition of providing the very best opportunities for children and young people.
“It is important, however, to have a realistic plan of how to achieve those objectives.”