Vulnerable pupils should receive tailored support to encourage
them to re-engage with learning, according to a new report
published today by the National Foundation for Educational
Research (NFER).
The report also highlights the significant role that
schools have played in ensuring the safety and wellbeing of
vulnerable pupils, although raises concerns about the
sustainability of this as schools open more widely.
Funded by the Nuffield
Foundation, Support for vulnerable pupils and the
children of keyworkers is the third in a series of
reports exploring schools’ responses to Covid-19. The research is
based on a survey of 3,054 senior leaders and teachers[1] in
mainstream schools in England. The findings were
collected between 7-17 May.
Key findings from the 26-page report include:
§ Asked
to consider attendance in the previous week (the last week of
April), almost half (44 per cent) of senior leaders reported that
under ten children attended the school in person for at least one
day. With low levels of attendance for in-school provision,
senior leaders reported that their schools provided support to
vulnerable pupils’ learning remotely through regular checking in
and communication (96 per cent).
§ Three
in every five teachers reported that vulnerable pupils were less
engaged than their classmates. Senior leaders (57 per cent) and
teachers (75 per cent) reported a lack of pupil engagement in
learning as one of their main challenges in supporting vulnerable
pupils who were not attending school. Senior leaders in secondary
schools were one and a half times more likely to report
challenges engaging vulnerable pupils who were not attending
school in learning, compared to leaders in primary
schools.
§ Three-quarters
of senior leaders reported that their schools offered ‘social or
welfare’ support to vulnerable pupils, often by working with
other agencies. For example, many schools supported their pupils
by providing food vouchers and parcels (95 per cent) and
providing non-education related information (83 per cent) to
assist families. Further, two in every five senior leaders
reported that their staff made home visits to vulnerable pupils
who were not attending school. Among teachers who conducted home
visits, around half (48%) visited vulnerable pupils once a
week.
§ There
were more concerns about the welfare of vulnerable pupils in the
most deprived schools: 54 per cent of senior leaders in these
schools reported significant concerns for their safety and
wellbeing, relative to 35 per cent of senior leaders in the least
deprived schools. Similarly, the share of senior leaders
reporting that staff in their school undertook home visits ranges
from 26 per cent in the most affluent schools to 46 per cent in
the most deprived schools.
§ Despite
high levels of collaboration between schools and other agencies,
there is scope for agencies to work together more closely to
provide social and welfare support for vulnerable children,
especially in deprived areas. A quarter of senior leaders
identified this as a particular challenge, rising to 30 per cent
of leaders in deprived schools.
§ Many
vulnerable pupils and children of keyworkers had similar – and in
many cases better supported and supervised – learning provision
than children at home. But, in-school activities for vulnerable
pupils and keyworker children in the most deprived schools were
more likely to be extra-curricular. Over a third (37 per cent) of
leaders in the most deprived schools reported that their main
approach towards in-school provision was providing
extra-curricular activities, compared to 17 per cent in schools
with the lowest levels of deprivation
Speaking about the findings:
, Chief Executive at
NFER, said:
“Today’s report shows how schools and their staff have
taken the initiative in increasing the welfare support provided
to vulnerable pupils. Given that impacts from the pandemic are
likely to persist for some time, there is a need for schools to
have increased levels of external support to ensure they can
focus their resources on teaching and learning.
“The recent Government announcement of additional support
to enable children to catch-up is welcome. However, policymakers
should also specifically look at initiatives to help vulnerable
pupils re-engage with learning and ensure there is adequate
support for their health and wellbeing, including through social
workers and other community initiatives. It will be crucial to
increase their engagement and to support their parents to provide
a secure and safe environment.”
Josh Hillman, Director of Education at Nuffield
Foundation, added:
“It is of great concern that the most vulnerable students
have been the least engaged in learning during the pandemic,
particularly those from schools in the most disadvantaged areas.
We welcome the Government’s catch-up plan, but if the initiative
is to successfully close the ever-widening disadvantage gap, it
is vital to re-engage disadvantaged pupils with learning and give
particular support to those entering primary schools.”
