Recommendations & Conclusions
20 items
1
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Program…
There is no doubt that school closures have had a devasting effect on children’s education. One 2020 study found that children locked down at home in the UK spent an average of only 2.5 hours each day doing schoolwork, and one fifth of pupils did no schoolwork at home, or …
Government response. 14. We recognise the need to ensure we understand the full impact Covid-19 has had on children and young people, including establishing the effect on attainment and mental health and wellbeing. This is why we have invested in research into …
Department for Education
2
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Program…
The Department must continue to establish the full effect of the pandemic on children and young people. This must consider the impacts felt by children from disadvantaged backgrounds and on the regional disparities of support offered. This must not be confined to solely academic factors but should also focus on …
Government response. 14. We recognise the need to ensure we understand the full impact Covid-19 has had on children and young people, including establishing the effect on attainment and mental health and wellbeing. This is why we have invested in research into …
Department for Education
3
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Program…
Stakeholders have expressed concerns over the sufficiency of the Government’s investment in the Catch-up Programme. The Department’s own annual report from 2020/21 rated the risk of its measures to address lost learning being insufficient as “critical/very likely”. The sector needs assurance of ongoing support to address the challenges of the …
Government response. 3. The Government welcomes the ESC’s continued interest in the Government’s programme to support pupils to recover from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. We have considered the findings and recommendations of the report carefully. 4. The Government recognises the …
Department for Education
4
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Program…
We welcome the funding the Government has already committed to help pupils catch up, but we believe the existing funding arrangements for catch-up amount to a spaghetti junction of funding, piling more work on teachers and support staff who have needed to navigate multiple funding processes to access different streams …
Government response. 3. The Government welcomes the ESC’s continued interest in the Government’s programme to support pupils to recover from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. We have considered the findings and recommendations of the report carefully. 4. The Government recognises the …
Department for Education
5
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Program…
Teachers and school staff know their pupils and know what interventions are likely to bring the most benefit. The Catch-up Programme to date has been fragmented, and a complex bureaucratic system for applications may have hampered some schools’ ability to access some elements of the Government’s support as effectively as …
Government response. 32. We recognise the need to ensure that access to recovery funding is efficient and reduces the administrative burden on schools and keep this under regular review. 33. Many of the initiatives that form part of our recovery strategy are …
Department for Education
6
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Program…
The impact of school closures and the pandemic has resulted in a reversal of the progress made in narrowing the attainment gap, with children in the North disproportionately affected. It is also alarming that children and young people in the North, particularly the North-East and Yorkshire and the Humber, have …
Government response. We recognise the need to ensure we understand the full impact Covid-19 has had on children and young people, including establishing the effect on attainment and mental health and wellbeing. This is why we have invested in research into academic …
Department for Education
7
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Program…
Rates of persistent absence remain concerning, and the number of ‘ghost children’ who are experiencing severe levels of absence from school remains far too high. The Government needs to do much more to get these children back in school, which is the best place to ensure they will be safe …
Government response. 39. We recognise that the lessons we have learned during the pandemic must help us strengthen and improve the overall system. That is why we are in the process of reviewing the school attendance system as a whole and have …
Department for Education
8
Recommendation
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Program…
The Department must take steps to address the issue of persistent absence and ensure no more children become ‘ghost children’. We welcome the Department’s formation of an ‘attendance alliance’ and its consultation on reducing avoidable absence in schools, however these children need tangible action now. The Department must urgently set …
Government response. 39. We recognise that the lessons we have learned during the pandemic must help us strengthen and improve the overall system. That is why we are in the process of reviewing the school attendance system as a whole and have …
Department for Education
9
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Program…
It is not clear that the National Tutoring Programme will deliver for the pupils that need it most. We expect full transparency about the operation of the National Is the Catch-up Programme fit for purposee 31 Tutoring Programme, including information on how many pupils are benefitting from the programme, and …
Government response. 46. We began publication of half-termly data from March 2022. This includes data on participation by local authority, region and school. Data on pupil characteristics such as disadvantage and special educational needs will be published on an annual basis. The …
Department for Education
10
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Program…
The Department must commit to publishing statistics on a half-termly basis on the number of starts under the National Tutoring Programme with a greater degree of granularity. This must include information on the proportion of children accessing the programme on a regional basis, and the data should be published in …
Government response. 46. We began publication of half-termly data from March 2022. This includes data on participation by local authority, region and school. Data on pupil characteristics such as disadvantage and special educational needs will be published on an annual basis. The …
Department for Education
11
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Program…
Currently it appears that the school-led tutoring pillar is more attractive than tuition partners or academic mentors (with 230,000 starts as of 1 December, compared to 52,000 and 20,000 respectively), although we have heard concerns about the quality assurance underpinning that part of the programme. The Department should ensure that …
Government response. 49. School-led tutoring has been well received by schools this year; our statistical release on 31 March 2022 showed an estimated 76% of tutoring is being delivered through this route. On 31 March 2022 we announced that we will allocate …
Department for Education
12
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Program…
We heard that the Department’s plans to taper the subsidies for the National Tutoring Programme are a “real concern”, which may inhibit school take up in some of the most disadvantaged areas. Therefore, to ensure that it does not unfairly prevent schools in more disadvantaged areas from taking up the …
Government response. 53. We have announced our plans to align subsidies across all routes next year to cover 60% of the unit cost. Allocations will be based on the numbers of pupils in schools eligible for the pupil premium, which means schools …
Department for Education
13
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Program…
The Department should commit to undertaking a review of the impact that Covid-19 has had on children with special educational needs and disabilities. (Paragraph 60) Mental health resilience and an extended school day
Government response. 54. We recognise the need to ensure we understand the impact Covid-19 has had on pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), understanding that the pandemic has disproportionately impacted these pupils and exacerbating the challenges that already existed within …
Department for Education
14
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Program…
We are conscious that any extension to the school day would need to be carefully balanced so that staff workload and pupils’ energy are not negatively impacted. However, we are also persuaded that there is merit in extending opportunities for additional time spent on extra-curricular activities, including exercise and creative …
Government response. 60. Extra-curricular activities, alongside a rich and engaging curriculum, can support children’s development, behaviour, attainment and wellbeing. That is why in the Schools White Paper we committed to a richer, longer average school week which makes the most effective use …
Department for Education
15
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Program…
The Department must introduce a pilot of optional extra-curricular activities for children to help improve academic attainment and wellbeing. The pilot should be trialled in areas of disadvantage across the country. If this pilot proves effective, the Department should include the necessary funding to support a wider provision in the …
Government response. 60. Extra-curricular activities, alongside a rich and engaging curriculum, can support children’s development, behaviour, attainment and wellbeing. That is why in the Schools White Paper we committed to a richer, longer average school week which makes the most effective use …
Department for Education
16
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Program…
There are some examples of positive collaboration between local private and state schools in terms of offering the use of sports centres or theatres to support enrichment activities which should be further encouraged. Primary and secondary state schools should also be encouraged to utilise local youth centres, local community groups …
Government response. 60. Extra-curricular activities, alongside a rich and engaging curriculum, can support children’s development, behaviour, attainment and wellbeing. That is why in the Schools White Paper we committed to a richer, longer average school week which makes the most effective use …
Department for Education
17
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Program…
Before the pandemic there were serious concerns about the mental health of our children and young people. The pandemic has exacerbated an existing crisis in mental health, with as many as 1 in 6 children aged 6–16 years old now suffering from a probable mental health condition. It is vital …
Government response. 70. Mental health and wellbeing are a priority for the Government, and we remain committed to promoting and supporting mental health and wellbeing in schools and colleges. 71. As part of the Department’s commitment in the ‘Transforming Children and Young …
Department for Education
18
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Program…
The Department must fast-track its commitments to ensuring all schools have a designated mental health lead. All catch-up plans, including enrichment activities and longer school days, must include a specific role for activities that focus on mental health and wellbeing.
Government response. 70. Mental health and wellbeing are a priority for the Government, and we remain committed to promoting and supporting mental health and wellbeing in schools and colleges. 71. As part of the Department’s commitment in the ‘Transforming Children and Young …
Department for Education
19
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Program…
Throughout our inquiry, we have heard that pupils’ wellbeing and mental health have been one of the greatest challenges as schools return. All pupils should undergo a mental health and wellbeing assessment to understand the scale of the problem and schools may wish to direct some of the recovery funding …
Government response. 73. We recognise the challenges schools face in supporting children and young people to recover from the mental health and wellbeing impacts of the pandemic and the associated measures and restrictions. Our guidance provided when children and young people returned …
Department for Education
20
Recommendation
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Program…
The Government should introduce a levy on the profits of social media companies, and use the revenue derived from this to fund online harms and resilience training for pupils which could be distributed through schools. (Paragraph 78) Is the Catch-up Programme fit for purposee 33
Government response. 75. The Government agrees that pupils need to be taught about online harms and supported to develop resilience as part of schools’ role in supporting all children and young people grow up happy, healthy and safe. That is why, in …
Department for Education