Nursery World - Disadvantaged children fall further behind due to Covid

New research reveals the attainment gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils in Key Stage 1 has grown since the second lockdown.

The NFER research finds the gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged KS1 pupils has grown since the last lockdown PHOTO Adobe Stock

Findings from an ongoing study into the impact of Covid-19 related to disruption on the attainment of pupils shows that the disadvantage gap for children in Year 1 (five- to six-year-olds) is now seven months for both reading and mathematics. For children in Year 2, the gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils has grown from an estimated six months in 2019 to seven months for reading and eight months for maths.

The research by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) is based on data from reading and maths assessments taken by more than 10,000 Key Stage 1 pupils from 156 schools this spring term. Their scores were compared with a representative sample of Year 1 and 2 children in spring 2019.

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