ASCL comment on EPI report into lost learning during pandemic and call for significant funding at Spending Review

Commenting on the publication of the Education Policy Institute (EPI) research on learning loss and education recovery ahead of next week's Spending Review 2021, Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, said:

“This report presents a grim picture of the substantial learning loss suffered by young people during the course of the coronavirus pandemic and is a clarion call to the government that a substantial education recovery fund is required at next week’s Spending Review.

“This should not come as a surprise to the government because everyone working in education has warned of the potential consequences of underinvestment in our schools and colleges and the knock-on effects for the students directly impacted by the pandemic.

“The EPI report lays bare the regional disparities we have seen over the last 18 months and crucially exposes the widening gap in education experienced by disadvantaged students in comparison to their more affluent peers.

“ASCL, along with many other organisations, has put together a strong case for additional recovery funding to be provided, and we hope the Chancellor heeds those calls in the Spending Review. The time has come for the government to prove it is serious about education and back its levelling up rhetoric with a truly meaningful commitment of funding.”