The Education Endowment
Foundation (EEF) has today
announced three new research studies designed to provide greater
understanding of the strategies schools put in place to support
pupils throughout Covid-19 closures, and the impact of these
approaches on the disadvantage gap.
In June, the EEF published a rapid evidence assessment which
concluded starkly that school closures will have reversed a
decade’s progress in closing the disadvantage gap. However, the
unprecedented circumstances of Covid-19 mean the evidence base
remains limited.
These new studies aim to help address that evidence gap,
providing robust estimates of the changes to the disadvantage gap
among primary-age children, as well as uniquely detailed
information on how schools are supporting pupils’ wellbeing and
learning this academic year.
The three projects announced by the EEF are:
- A team led by FFT aims to
provide the earliest robust estimate of the change in the
disadvantage gap pre- and post-lockdown, as well as analysing
strategies associated with mitigating a widening gap, focused on
pupils in Years 2 to 6 in 145 primary schools.
- The National Foundation
for Educational Research will assess the extent to
which Key Stage 1 pupils’ attainment in reading and maths has
been impacted by school closures, and particularly the effect
on disadvantaged pupils. 158 schools will provide detailed
information on the types of support individual pupils are
receiving this year, as well as whole-school strategies - such
as small-group work, tutoring, parental engagement - which will
be uniquely important in trying to understanding the impact of
different responses for disadvantaged groups.
- The University of
York, NIESR and EPI will assess
the impact of lockdown on the school readiness of new Reception
children across England and their educational attainment and
socioemotional wellbeing over their first year of education.
Professor Becky Francis, Chief Executive of the Education
Endowment Foundation (EEF), said:
“Covid-19 closures of schools and nurseries have highlighted
once again the complex challenges in tackling educational
disadvantage, and the extraordinary efforts of educators to
respond.
“This new research has two important aims. First, to better
understand the extent to which the attainment gap is likely to
have widened in the past six months. Secondly, to identify what
approaches schools and teachers are taking to support their
pupils to come back stronger – and which of these hold the
greatest promise for improved learning and wellbeing outcomes for
children.
“As ever, our focus is on providing schools with practical
evidence they are able to apply in their context and which will
have particular benefit for disadvantaged pupils. In addition, we
are providing practical support through our partnerships with
other charities to lead the National Tutoring Programme, as well
as training, resources and partnership through our national
network of Research Schools.”
