A radical plan is needed to right the wrongs of an education system that widens the disparity between rich and poor

Almost all of us will have missed out on something important in the last few weeks. My lockdown low was missing my niece’s first birthday, a virtual singalong no substitute for a real cuddle. But celebrations and holidays can be postponed; children and young people are missing out on rites of passage they will never get back: their last day at primary school with the class they’ve grown up with; the end of GCSE and A-level parties; their final term at university.

Autumn is unlikely to herald a return to normality. Last week, Cambridge University announced that it was moving all of its large-group teaching online for the whole of the next academic year; others are likely to follow. So many of the events that make up university life will also have to likely go: freshers’ fairs; sports, music and drama; student parties. Little wonder that one in five prospective students say they are considering deferring.

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Read more: theguardian.com