GCSE pupils to be given £300k worth of textbooks and revision guides

GCSE students in Caerphilly County Borough will be given more than £300k worth of textbooks and revision guides.

Caerphilly County Borough Council’s cabinet agreed last week to use £302,175 of education and corporate services reserves to fund the scheme, which will help students during the coronavirus pandemic.

The funding will allow all 4,029 pupils in Years 10 and 11 in Caerphilly access textbooks and revision guide for English or Welsh, Maths and Science.

The set of textbooks costs £75 per student and would be a one-off payment. Schools would be expected to reuse the textbooks in future years.

A cabinet report says there is ongoing work to begin to provide all learners with IT equipment such as ChromeBooks, laptops and iPads,

It says: “The intention to provide a physical set of textbooks and revision guides covering core subjects for all Key Stage 4 learners means that Caerphilly’s pupils will be able to access content in the classroom, and from home, over an extended period.”

The council hopes that students can regain any lost ground to the pandemic and they are equipped to continue their learning should physical access to schools be restricted again.

The report says: “While schools are scheduled to return in September, the further impact of Covid-19 over coming months cannot be predicted with any certainty.

“Should schools be required to close again, either in response to a local or regional lockdown, the council wishes to be in the strongest position possible to ensure our learners are not further disadvantaged.”

The council’s deputy leader, Cllr Sean Morgan, said: “I can’t imagine the difficulty that schools and learners have gone through during this pandemic and anything that can help alleviate the problems, especially in this key moment in their lives, is the right thing to do.”