Responding to this morning's new ONS report looking
at the impact of the pandemic on inequalities in learning between
GCSE pupils from poorer and better off backgrounds, Sarah
Hannafin, head of policy at school leaders’ union NAHT, said:
“Children from disadvantaged backgrounds have disproportionately
suffered from funding cuts over the last decade, not just to
schools, but to wider services that should be there to help them.
“This research suggests that despite schools and their staff
going and above and beyond to help, Covid hit these pupils
particularly hard – not because they were less motivated than
their more affluent peers, but due to additional barriers faced
by families in these communities.
“Yet, shockingly, the government refused to fund the ambitious
recovery plan proposed by its own education recovery tsar,
failing the children and young people who need help the
most.
“The government must do far more if it is serious about tackling
inequalities, investing much more in both schools and community
services like social care and mental health which are so
important in supporting pupils and helping them to progress in
their learning and education.”
The report found a higher proportion of young people living in
the most deprived areas reported that they had fallen behind
their classmates because of disruption caused by the coronavirus
(COVID-19) pandemic (42%), compared with those in the least
deprived areas (26%).
