Recommendations & Conclusions
7 items
1
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Program…
Acknowledged
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 …
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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 less than one hour a day. Primary-aged pupils had lost 0.9 months learning in reading and 2.2 months in mathematics by the summer of 2020/21, and secondary-aged pupils had experienced a learning loss of around 1.2 months in reading. School closures have also impacted on children’s mental health, with 1 in 6 children having a probable mental health condition in 2020, up from 1 in 9 in 2017. We believe that school closures have been nothing short of a national disaster for children.
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Government response AI summary
The government recognises the need to understand the full impact Covid-19 has had on children and young people, and is investing in research to establish the effects on attainment, mental health and wellbeing.
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Department for Education
2
Recommendation
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Program…
Acknowledged
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 …
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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 understanding how children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing have been affected, as this is critical to academic attainment. All data should seek to identify where pupils with particular characteristics (including ethnicity, free school meals eligibility, or those with special educational needs) have been differentially impacted. The Department should utilise real-time data and the results of school and local authority assessments of pupils’ lost learning to better target catch-up and mental health support immediately, so education recovery is not ‘on hold’ or delayed while the latest data is being collated. Funding must be committed by the Government to tackle the digital divide and boost broadband infrastructure to ensure that all children have the support they need to catch up on lost learning. Where data already exists, significant funding must be committed to targeted catch-up interventions to tackle the growing educational inequalities that are leaving some children with worsening academic outcomes and life chances. (Paragraph 19) A spaghetti junction of funding
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Government response AI summary
The government acknowledges the need to establish the full effect of the pandemic on children and young people, including impacts on mental health and regional disparities, and states that it is investing in research, monitoring data, and considering impacts on specific pupil characteristics, including ethnicity …
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Department for Education
3
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Program…
Acknowledged
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 …
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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 pandemic and the long-term impact on children and young people. The education recovery programme is needed for the long-term, not for just two or three years.
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Government response AI summary
The government recognises concerns about the impact of the pandemic on children and young people’s academic progress and has committed almost £5bn for an ambitious and evidence based, multi-year education recovery plan which includes funding for tutoring, teaching, and direct funding targeted at those that …
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Department for Education
4
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Program…
Acknowledged
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 …
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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 of funding (Paragraph 27) 30 Is the Catch-up Programme fit for purposee
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Government response AI summary
The government welcomes the committee’s interest in the catch-up programme and recognises concerns about the impact of the pandemic and the need to ensure pupils recover learning.
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Department for Education
6
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Program…
Acknowledged
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 …
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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 suffered greater learning loss during the last two years compared to many in the South. Nor is it acceptable that such striking variations exist between young people in the North who were able to take up the support offered by the National Tutoring Programme in its first year (59% of schools compared with upwards of 96% schools in the South). We discuss the performance of the NTP and its current provider Randstad in the next Chapter.
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Government response AI summary
The government acknowledges the disproportionate impact of school closures and the pandemic on children in the North and has invested in research to understand the full impact of Covid-19 on children and young people, including its effect on attainment and mental health and wellbeing, while …
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Department for Education
17
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Program…
Acknowledged
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 …
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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 that swift action is taken to support all children and young people to build their resilience and ensure they get the support they need, when they need it.
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Government response AI summary
The government acknowledges that mental health and wellbeing are a priority and highlights its commitment to promoting and supporting them in schools and colleges.
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Department for Education
18
Recommendation
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Program…
Acknowledged
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.
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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.
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Government response AI summary
The government highlights the opportunity for all schools to train a senior mental health lead by 2025, and says decisions about enrichment activities are made by schools.
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Department for Education