MPs probe effect of Covid-19 pandemic on disadvantaged white children
Nina Jacobs
Monday, April 20, 2020
The government has launched a public call for evidence asking for views on the underachievement of white pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The House of Commons education committee said the initial inquiry would run alongside its continuing work on how the coronavirus outbreak was affecting the education system and the implications for society’s most vulnerable groups.
It said the call for written evidence was the first step in a series of inquiries the committee would undertake on the issues faced by disadvantaged and left-behind groups and how they could best be supported.
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Such work would become even more important given these groups were likely to be disproportionately impacted by the implications of the Covid-19 pandemic on education and children’s services, the committee said.
In addition to the effects of the pandemic, the inquiry will focus on the reasons behind the differences in attainment and the impact it has on society.
It will also look at what the priorities should be for tackling underachievement.
According to the Department for Education GCSE performance statistics for 2018, the national average Attainment 8 score, which measures average achievement over eight GCSEs, was 46.5 compared with 28.5 for white boys eligible for free school meals.
In response to such data, submissions are invited from individuals and organisations on areas which include the extent of underachievement for white pupils who are eligible for free school meals and how well it is captured in official statistics.
The committee also wants evidence on factors contributing to this group’s underachievement such as the availability and quality of early years provision and the impact of role models.
MP Robert Halfon, the committee’s chair, said the coronavirus outbreak would have a “particularly heavy” bearing on those from disadvantaged groups.
“It is therefore vital that we continue to work to ensure they are properly supported and remain absolutely determined that this unprecedented national crisis does not set back efforts in tackling the social injustices faced by too many groups.
“There is a worrying trend of white pupils from poorer backgrounds underperforming compared with their peers. Such gaps in learning seriously limit young people’s potential to get on in life and more must be done to tackle this very social injustice,” he said.
Halfon said while the inquiry’s initial focus is on white working class pupils, it would be evaluating other disadvantaged groups.
“At this difficult time for families, everything possible must be done to ensure the most disadvantaged children do not fall off the education ladder of opportunity completely,” he added.
Last month the committee launched an inquiry on the impact of Covid-19 on education and children’s services, inviting submissions until 31 May.