Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Covid-19 Closures: Educational Disadvantage

Monday 1 November 2021 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Recent comparative assessment by Renaissance Learning shows pupils were one to three months behind in learning in summer 2021, with improvements since spring
  • Pupil premium pupils were half a month further behind in primary and two months further behind in secondary compared to other pupils
  • Teach First research found children from disadvantaged backgrounds were twice as likely to have fallen behind during the pandemic compared to those from more affluent backgrounds

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Questions & Answers

Q1 Flick Drummond Con
Education
Context

During the COVID-19 outbreak, schools faced closures leading to educational disadvantages. Research indicated that pupils eligible for the pupil premium were particularly affected.

Question

What recent comparative assessment has been made of the potential educational disadvantage due to school and classroom closures as a result of the covid-19 outbreak for (a) those eligible for the pupil premium and (b) other pupils?

Answer from Robin Walker

According to Renaissance Learning, pupils were one to three months behind in their learning in summer 2021, with improvements since the spring. Pupil premium pupils were half a month further behind in primary and two months further behind in secondary. We have announced a new £1 billion recovery premium to support disadvantaged pupils, with extra support in secondary, to reflect the evidence. That is part of our £4.9 billion investment in education recovery.

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Q2 Flick Drummond Con
Children & Families
Context

Research from Teach First found that during the pandemic, children from disadvantaged backgrounds were twice as likely to fall behind compared to those from more affluent ones. Concerns specifically raised about pupils with special educational needs in Hampshire falling behind.

Question

I thank the Minister for his comments. Research from education charities, such as Teach First, has found that during the pandemic children from disadvantaged backgrounds were twice as likely to have fallen behind as those from more affluent ones. I am particularly concerned about pupils with special educational needs in Hampshire, who are falling behind where they should be. Has he considered any further measures to help them?

Answer from Robin Walker

My hon. Friend is right to raise these concerns. We have consistently prioritised children with special educational needs, for example, by providing additional SEN uplifts in the catch-up and recovery premiums for 2020 to 2022. We also set an expectation that those with education, health and care plans would be able to attend schools throughout the pandemic and ensured that special schools remained open. We announced an additional £1 billion of recovery funding directly to schools to support catch-up over the two years from the academic year 2022-23.

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