School Attendance: Covid-19 — [Sir David Amess in the Chair]

She highlighted the disparity in remote education access during the first lockdown, noting that only 6.3% of state school pupils attended four or more online lessons daily compared to 30% of private school pupils. She pointed out that before the lockdown, children on free school meals were lagging behind their classmates by an average of 18 months and this gap widened during the pandemic with many not engaging in sufficient remote learning. McDonagh criticised the Government's reduction in support for schools providing online education, which left some schools receiving only 20% of the laptops they had been promised. She emphasised that without proper devices and internet access at home, students cannot effectively participate in remote schooling. Highlighted the significant disparity in access to quality online education, citing a local school that provided six lessons per day and implemented safety measures to ensure student engagement during lockdowns. She provided statistics showing that only 10% of households with income below £10,000 have internet access at home compared to over 90% for those above £40,000. Getting involved in this issue has made me aware that poorer people access the internet differently, highlighting a digital divide. Most people in poor situations use pay-as-you-go services rather than main internet companies, which complicates addressing these issues without understanding how they are accessed.

Expressed concerns about the impact of school closures on disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs. Noted that only 22% of children from disadvantaged backgrounds received good-quality online learning during lockdown, with even lower figures for certain communities like Roma students. Tom Hunt stated that going back to school is the best thing for some vulnerable children as it enables more oversight and questioned whether not giving schools discretion could be detrimental to those children.

Mr. Streeting thanked the Petitions Committee, organisers of the petition and over 100,000 signatories for engaging in the debate. He expressed gratitude to the schools community for their efforts during the pandemic, emphasising that education is crucial for shaping young people's life chances. He cited studies showing potential severe impacts on attainment gaps due to school closures. Mr. Streeting also highlighted disparities in access to remote learning resources among disadvantaged families and urged internet service providers to ensure free access to educational websites. He criticised the Government's insufficient support for schools during the pandemic, calling for certainty about financial support as the year-end approaches.