Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 5
5
Teachers and school staff know their pupils and know what interventions are likely to bring...
Conclusion
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 possible. The funding schemes should be simplified and merged into one pot for schools to access and spend where the recovery need is greatest. and any future catch-up initiatives should direct funding to schools using existing mechanisms for identifying disadvantage such as pupil premium eligibility and the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI), to ensure schools in the most disadvantaged regions receive more. Schools should also be held accountable for how they spend their catch-up funding. When carrying out inspections, Ofsted should be looking for evidence that catch-up activity has been effective. When inspecting school leadership and management, Ofsted should check that effective governance and scrutiny of resource allocation extends to catch-up funding. (Paragraph 28) Disadvantaged pupils and regional variations in learning loss
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
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 designed to empower schools to determine how funding is targeted, directing it to those most in need and led by the evidence of what works to improve outcomes. On 31 March 2022, we announced that the National Tutoring Programme will be simplified with all £350m of tutoring funding provided in academic year 2022/23 going directly to schools. Building on the success of the school-led tutoring route in 2021/22 this will give schools freedom to decide how best to arrange tutoring for their pupils. Allocations will take account of the number of pupils in each school eligible for the pupil premium. 34. The recovery premium is also distributed directly to schools and allocated on the basis of disadvantage. Schools can choose to spend their recovery premium on a wider cohort of pupils than just those who attract the funding, directing spend where they think the need is greatest. The EEF’s pupil premium guide supports schools in developing a pupil premium strategy based on the best evidence, while the new pupil premium templates enable schools to report on all three grants – the pupil premium, recovery premium and service pupil premium – in one place. 35. In terms of directing funding to the most disadvantaged regions, the recent Schools White Paper, published 28 March 2022, recommits to the Levelling Up White Paper’s education mission, introducing Education Investment Areas (EIAs). These will increase funding and support in parts of the country that need it most, including substantial investment in priority areas facing the most entrenched challenges. 36. Overall, core schools funding is increasing by £4 billion in 2022–23 – a 7% increase in cash terms per pupil from 2021–22. This funding boost will give schools the resources they need to raise attainment, provide the right support to all pupils and students, increase teacher pay and continue to rise to the challenges of Covid response and recovery. 37. In 2022–23, we will be allocating approximately £2,000 per pupil, for all pupils who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years (FSM6) – through the national funding formula, the pupil premium and the 2022–23 school supplementary grant together. 38. Ofsted already considers the use of catch-up funding within its school inspections, as outlined within its school inspection handbook. Inspectors gather evidence about the use of the pupil premium and catch-up funding, particularly regarding the level of funding received by the school in the current academic year and levels of pupil premium funding received in previous academic years. Inspectors will consider how leaders and governors have spent the funding, their rationale for this spending, its intended impact and the learning and progress of disadvantaged pupils.