Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 8
8
Rejected
Department affirms relentless focus on closing attainment disadvantage gap through recovery programmes
Conclusion
We asked the Department when we would see the disadvantage gap start to close. The Department insisted that closing the gap in attainment had been the relentless focus of its education recovery work, and that almost every element of the recovery programme, including the National Tutoring Programme and the recovery premium, had been tilted towards disadvantaged pupils. It also said that while another important part of the recovery programme, investment in teacher education and training, benefited every pupil, good-quality teaching benefited disadvantaged pupils the most.15
Government Response Summary
The government rejects the implied recommendation, stating that narrowing the disadvantage gap is central to all existing departmental programmes rather than requiring a separate plan. It highlights ongoing £5 billion recovery programmes, the Schools White Paper, and a commitment to continue reviewing progress.
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
The government disagrees with the Committee’s recommendation. The Department for Education (the department) is committed to narrowing the disadvantage gap as quickly as possible, using proven programmes and the best evidence, for example through the department’s funded work of the Education Endowment Foundation. This objective is central and should be threaded through all of the department’s programmes and work, rather than being a further separate plan. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, progress was made on improved outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. That progress was achieved through evidence-based improvements to curriculum and pedagogy, targeted help for pupils through the National Funding Formula, the continued development of the Pupil Premium and tilting of major programmes across all phases of education. The Schools White Paper, Opportunity for all: strong schools with great teachers for your child (published March 2022) set out steps to improve attainment for all pupils, including helping to provide children who fall behind with the support they need to get back on track. The pandemic impacted on the learning and development of all pupils, in particular disadvantaged pupils. That is why the £5 billion recovery programmes are principally targeted at disadvantaged pupils, supporting the narrowing of the disadvantage gap to pre-pandemic levels as quickly as possible. Key stage (KS) 2 national statistics, released on 11 July 2023, show that overall more pupils met the expected standard in this year’s mathematics and writing assessments than last year, and although reading has declined from last year it remains consistent with results in 2019 prior to the pandemic. Statistics on attainment in KS1, KS2 and phonics at regional and local authority level, and broken down by pupil and school characteristics (including disadvantaged pupils) will be published in Autumn 2023. The department continues to use evidence and wider insights to review progress towards our 2030 ambitions, across different cohorts and phases, to determine how best to support to support all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged.