Members of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) say they are “alarmed” after the Department for Education warned it could take 10 years to return the disadvantage gap to a level seen before the Covid-19 crisis.
The committee's report into education recovery in schools in England found that the pandemic had wiped out progress to narrow the attainment gap since 2012, according to Key Stage test results from last year.
“The department says that every element of its recovery programme has been tilted towards disadvantage, it believes it has a strong package of measures in place and it hopes to see the disadvantage gap narrowing again from summer 2023,” states the MPs’ report.
“However, it still expects it may take 10 years to return the disadvantage gap to the level it was before the pandemic.”
Government support to help pupils catch up has included the National Tutoring Programme, but MPs are concerned that this was not taken up by one in eight schools leaving pupils to miss “out on the benefits of subsidised tutoring”.
They are also concerned that more pupils will miss out as the DfE reduces its subsidy for the programme and schools “may not be able to afford to provide tutoring”.
Targeted action to reduce absences rates among disadvantaged pupils is also being called for.
In addition, MPs want to see swifter improvement in support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). They are concerned that the government’s SEND improvement plan was blighted by delays before its publication in March.
The DfE is being called on to publish as plan to “reduce the disadvantage gap as quickly as possible”.
“The DfE does not seem to appreciate the pressures schools are under as they seek to help pupils catch up amid funding constraints, challenges in recruitment and retention for staff and growing mental health needs for pupils,” said PAC chair Meg Hillier.
“It is therefore essential that government reckons with the reality of the situation and publishes focused plans on reducing the disadvantage gap and absence rates. It must also bolster uptake of tuition, an essential programme at risk of withering on the vine as subsidies are sharply reduced.
“The consequences of a lost decade in progress narrowing the gap in attainment for disadvantaged children are immeasurable.”
Patrick Roach, general secretary of teachers’ union NASUWT said: “The government’s catch-up plans were wholly inadequate to deal with the profound challenges experienced by children and young people as a result of the pandemic.
“It is now abundantly clear that government policy is failing to deliver for a generation of children and young people.”
