TEACHERS and MPs have backed a think-tank’s call on the government to provide critical support for pupils whose learning has stalled during the lockdown. 

Pupils could return to school with “fresh behavioural challenges” due to family circumstances or bereavement, the Education Policy Institute (EPI) said today.

The EPI proposed a school “catch-up plan” to prevent disadvantaged pupils from falling further behind during the pandemic, and recommended avoiding student exclusions and freezing Ofsted inspections until 2021.