Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 1
1
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There is no doubt that school closures have had a devasting effect on children’s education.
Conclusion
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
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
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 academic progress over the 2020/21 and 2021/22 academic years with Renaissance Learning and the Education Policy Institute. The latest findings from this research, published 28 March, include data from the first half of the 2021–22 Autumn term, and we launched, via the Research & Insights Marketplace, our invitation to tender for the first tranche of further research on 19 April to cover future terms. Our research with Ipsos Mori in partnership with Sheffield Hallam University and the Centre for Education and Youth is gathering evidence from schools to understand how they have responded to the impacts of the pandemic and what further support they believe they need. In January 2022, we published findings from the first year of research. The full report will be published in early 2023. We also collect and collate various management information, evaluation, and delivery data on a regular basis which informs our recovery work. Our data and research consider the impacts on pupils with particular characteristics including ethnicity, gender, free school meal eligibility, pupils with SEND, Children in Need, as well as considering regional disparities and area- level deprivation. 15. We understand that the pandemic and the associated public health measures and restrictions, including social distancing and school closures, has impacted on the mental wellbeing of some children and young people. Our State of the Nation 2021 report: children and young people’s wellbeing4 found that following a reduction in wellbeing in 2020, there were some signs of recovery in the last academic year, responding to improvements in pandemic conditions. Data also illustrates the rates of mental health problems in children and young people have not continued to increase from 2020; although they remained at elevated levels in 2021. The report supported the value of children being in school for their wellbeing. Evidence shows that older children and young people, females, those with existing mental health needs, those from disadvantaged backgrounds or SEND were more likely to show greater impacts. We continue to monitor emerging data and wider publications in this space.