By Gavin Mackintosh-
British MPs have called for the British government to act quickly in order to save pupils from the damaging prospects of a generation caused by the legacy of Covid . They say failure to act will entrench disadvantage between pupils from rich and poor families.
The Department for Education (DfE) today said it could take a decade for the disadvantage gap to return to pre-pandemic levels following the effects of three lockdowns in the Uk.
Reference has been made to the 2022 schools white paper in which the DfE set out its ambition for 90 per cent of primary pupils to meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths by 2030. It does not seem on track to meet those targets.
According to statistics the expected standard of pupils leaving primary school at key stage 2 fell from 65 per cent in 2019 to 59 per cent last year.
Pupils have been back and settled in schools for two years now, but some have complained that many students are still suffering the set back of being at home for long periods at the time, despite the fact pupils were given work to do online.
During lockdown many pupils in the Uk missed out on school learning, whilst those from better off homes, particularly private school pupils were well nurtured at home with quality tuition or supportive educated parents.
In a report on education recovery in schools, published today, Parliament’s public accounts committee (PAC) called on the government to address slow take-up of the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) and high absence rates.
This Committee scrutinises the value for money—the economy, efficiency and effectiveness—of public spending and generally holds the government and its civil servants to account for the delivery of public services.
“Without the [DfE] taking faster and more effective recovery action, the legacy of the Covid-19 pandemic will be with us for a long time, damaging the prospects of a generation of children and entrenching disadvantage,” the report stated.
Cross-party MPs on the committee called the department to publish a plan setting out how it will speedily reduce the attainment gap alongside the expected trajectory.
Some observers question what major difference covid lockdowns would have made to pupils in approaching the final year this September since they have had two years to catch up.
John Dhumbra, an A level school teacher in London believes students who are generally hardworking will not be affected much by the legacy of covid if they have been serious in the past two years.
He said: students who have not been attentive in class and hardworking at home in the past two years would have been the same way even if there had never been a lockdown. Two years is a long time for committed students, but you have a big divide between primary school students who listen in class and read relatively often at home, and those that do not.
Primary school pupils are young, so either they have the direction from parents or are naturally inclined to read and listen in class or they are not. Parents who want to access the tuition programme from the government should request it, but if this offer is truly open, schools should inform eligible parents so that they can benefit from it”
Statistics from last year’s exams showed the attainment gaps between disadvantaged key stage 4 and key stage 2 pupils and their better-off peers had widened to their largest levels in 10 years.
DfE data revealed that persistent absenteeism – where pupils miss 10 per cent or more class – rose from 10.9 per cent in 2018-19 to 22.5 per cent last year.
Separate research conducted by The Eye Of Media.Com in the past 3 months suggests that a number of pupils remain paranoid of catching covid two years after the government lifted lockdown and social distances rules, with some analysts suggesting many pupils are using it as an excuse to skip school.
Pupils who suffer from anxiety are most affected and more paranoid of mixing with people research suggests, but some education analysts argue that unserious pupils from lax background use it as an excuse to stay away from school.
Absentee students have many root causes including bullying, domestic issues at home, low self esteem and low academic performance.
While the report said the DfE had “insisted” the issue had been “the relentless focus” of its Covid recovery programme, it added that it should be able to reduce the gap at least as quickly as it had done in the decade before the pandemic.
Previous evidence has identified that poorer pupils are more likely to be absent, but provides no evidence to connect absenteeism with poverty.
Ministers have been urged to take additional targeted action to reduce absence rates among disadvantaged pupils, the report added.
“After that, schools will have to cover the full cost of tutoring from other sources… School budgets are already under significant pressure,” the report stated.
Responding to the report, a DfE spokesperson said it was “conscious of the effect of the pandemic…which is why we have made £5 billion available for education recovery”.
“We remain committed to addressing the attainment gap which is why the National Tutoring Programme is targeted at the most disadvantaged students and has had over three million course starts to date, backed by more than £1 billion investment.”