Pressure is mounting on the government to draw up plans for catch-up summer schools amid warnings that millions of pupils in England will face increasing distractions from home learning as lockdown measures are eased and shops reopen. The children’s commissioner for England, Anne Longfield, said headteachers were worried that some of their disadvantaged pupils would struggle to ever get back into doing school work after such prolonged closures, because the leap required would be so big. She told MPs on the education committee, who are investigating the impact of Covid-19 on schools and learning, that the government had just two weeks to put plans in place for summer schools to support students severely affected by the lockdown. Education unions warned however that pupils needed “nurture, support and respite” over the summer, rather than formal lessons, and called for a community effort to draw young people out of their homes and encourage “resocialisation”. Although schools have remained open for small numbers of key workers’ children and vulnerable pupils, and primary schools have begun to open to specific year groups, Longfield said around 8 million pupils in England could have been out of school for almost six months by the time the new school year starts in September. She was critical of the lack of consistency in the home schooling available to children across England during lockdown – while some has been good, other families have not received so much as a phone call – and said the government should have provided better guidance on what schools should be offering. Longfield said: “If we stick to the numbers of classes that are going back right now, that could be 8 million children that have been out of school for six months by September. “We looked at figures of kids not going online, that was before their parents went back to work, and before the sun came out for any length of time, and frankly before other things became more interesting. “The shops will be open soon and kids could have spent two-and-a-half months browsing Primark, but not been in school, so the other things that will actually be distractions will become more and more.” She said surveys found two-thirds of children were going online for schoolwork for less than two hours a day, which increased to 90% for disadvantaged groups. “Those who are disadvantaged, who maybe have negative experiences of school, will have more time away from it. “Some headteachers have said to me they stay up worrying about whether those children will ever come back because the leap that will need to get them back into school will be so vast.” The government has indicated it is looking at a number of additional measures to ensure that children get the support they need – including over the summer – to help them catch up on lost learning. On the issue of summer camps or schools, Nick Brook, deputy general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: “It is easy to understand why some people have called for ‘catch-up’ lessons over the summer. In doing so, well-meaning voices in education have identified the right problem but offered the wrong solution. “We don’t yet understand exactly how young people have been affected emotionally by lockdown. Priority needs to be given to supporting their mental health, wellbeing and to begin socialising in a safe and structured way again.” Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union added: “Children and families need nurture, support and respite over the summer period and the NEU welcomes the recommendation of the Independent Sage Group that local authorities and civil society groups should be mobilised to provide summer schools, outdoor learning opportunities and adventure camps over the summer break.”