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.
It finds in general that children’s achievement in reading and maths remains ‘significantly’ lower than before the pandemic.
Children in Year 1 made, on average, three months less progress for both reading and maths compared with the cohort of spring 2019, while Year 2 pupils made three months’ less progress for reading and around two months’ less progress for maths.
This is the second set of findings from the study. The initial findings, based on assessments taken by Year 2 pupils in the autumn, were published in January.
The new findings follow the resignation of Sir Kevan Collins as the education recovery tsar, whose role it was to advise the Government on ways to help children catch up on lost learning due to Covid-19. His resignation was in response to the Government's 'half-hearted' approach to education recovery.
Comments
Professor Becky Francis, chief executive of the Education Endowment Foundation, which has published the study, said, ‘While these findings are concerning, each new piece of research can help us to better understand the scale of the challenge facing our teachers.
‘Important work is already being done in schools to ensure that children’s progress is brought back on track and their well-being is restored in the wake of the pandemic.
‘However, schools need ongoing access to resources which will allow them to perform at their best, and to ensure that pupils surpass “recovery” to achieve the full extent of their potential.’
Dr Ben Styles, head of the National Foundation for Educational Research’s Education Trials unit, added, ‘The last few months have been hugely difficult for teachers, school leaders, parents and pupils.
‘We hope this study offers valuable information to teachers as they continue to help pupils recover from missed learning and support their overall well-being.
‘It reinforces the importance of sustained and properly-funded focus on activities to enable children to recover the learning they have missed.’
The report is available here
