Retired teachers from all disciplines could be asked to help in their local school. Use the Teachers Pension Agency to match teacher with school. Secondary teachers in English, Mathematics and Science should give very small group tuition (two or three per group) in their own subject. All other teachers should help with English skills in small group sessions; focussing on writing or reading a text together. Some diagnostic work would need to be done initially; preferably by the class teacher.
The school timetable would need to have a thirty minute flexible slot for this tuition to take place. It is no use having a lesson after school as the students are unlikely to be willing. It could take place during a registration or form period; especially if that were timetabled later in the day. This form period might be able to be rolled through the day for different year groups in order to take maximum use of the retired teachers. Perhaps either side and through the lunch period. To help hard pressed timetablers, model examples could be given for the most common school day arrangements.
The government should reimburse to schools the cost of DBS checks.
I am sure retired teachers would be happy to volunteer but they need to be asked individually by the Secretary of State for Education via the TPA. I would suggest that there is a fixed term of one year. Take advantage of retired teachers having less opportunity to travel and the possibility of their being vaccinated.
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