Attainment gap grown by a quarter since pandemic, study shows
Derren Hayes
Friday, July 2, 2021
The attainment gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils has grown by up to 25 per cent over the past two years, latest analysis published by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) suggests.
The study of 10,000 Key Stage 1 children from 156 schools found a deterioration in reading and maths ability across all pupils but that this was greatest among those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Among year 2 pupils, the attainment gap for reading is now seven months and for maths eight months, compared with six months for both in 2019. For year 1 pupils, the gap for both reading and maths is around seven months.
The Impact of Covid-19 school closures and subsequent support strategies study, undertaken for the EEF by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), assessed children’s abilities at the end of the spring term following the second national lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Their attainment was compared with that of a representative sample of year 1 and 2 children in spring 2019.
Across all year 1 pupils, progress in both subjects had fallen by around three months compared with 2019, while year 2 pupils made three months’ less progress for reading and two months’ less progress for maths.
The study authors said the findings highlighted the damage caused to children’s education by the pandemic and would help teachers improve how they targeted support.
Professor Becky Francis, chief executive of the EEF, said: “Whilst 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 wellbeing 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 NFER’s education trials unit said: “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 wellbeing.
“It reinforces the importance of a sustained and properly-funded focus on activities to enable children to recover the learning they have missed.”
Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said the results highlighted why more investment is needed to help children catch up lost learning.
"These reports show, once again, how much we need a long-term, properly thought-through and resourced plan for education recovery. A gap of seven months' progress in reading and mathematics will not be closed overnight, nor by a strategy based solely on an underfunded and ill-thought-out tutoring programme."
These findings are the second in a series of studies assessing the impact of the pandemic on children’s attainment. The first set of findings, based on assessments taken by year 2 pupils in autumn 2020, was published in January 2021, with a final report expected in December.
