The Astrea Academy Trust has announced that students are to benefit from extra tuition to help deal with time lost during the pandemic.

Students from Astrea Trust schools in Cambridgeshire, which are Longsands, Ernulf and St Ivo are to benefit from catch-up tuition and extra-curricular activities in a bid to help them put the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic behind them.

The packages of support for those attending Cambridgeshire schools has been developed to "manage lost educational opportunities" during the last 18 months.

On average, year 11 pupils have missed more than 50 days of school because they have either been unwell or in isolation, and while the Trust acknowledges that students have been working hard at home through remote learning, they say there is “no substitute” for face-to-face tuition with a teache.

Astrea Academy Trust director of Secondary Education, Hywel Jones, says: “It is natural that after the disruption of the last 18 months, students and their parents are concerned about the impact of the pandemic on their education.

“At Astrea Academy Trust, we are committed to delivering high-quality teaching and learning, alongside activities and enrichment, to give students the best chance of bouncing back brilliantly so they can go on to lead successful lives – and we want to do everything we can to help ‘put back’ some of what has been lost because of coronavirus."

"From September, year 11 students, who will be sitting exams next summer, will be enrolled on a bespoke programme, which will include three additional hours of tuition every week, as well as academic catch-up and specialist support.

"Year 13 students will be assigned individual plans where needed, while all pupils will receive specialist tips and advice to help them manage exam anxiety, as well as study guides and revision techniques."

Astrea Academy Trust regional director for Cambridgeshire, David Thomas, added: “We believe this additional focus and investment will help our exam year students, in particular, feel more confident and positive when they sit their assessments next summer – and we’re telling them now, so they don’t worry over the break.”