Pandemic-related disruption continued to impact students in the
run up to the first national exams since 2019, according to new
research published by the Sutton Trust today. Over the past
academic year, a third of A-level students who applied to
university missed 11 or more days of school for Covid-related
reasons, with over 1 in 5 missing more than 20 days.
A Levels and University Access
2022 surveys university applicants and teachers to
give a picture of this year’s exams and university admissions
cycle.
While some mitigations were put in place for exams this year to
reflect ongoing disruption - including giving advance information
on topics to be covered in exams - today’s polling of 4,089
teachers finds that almost half thought the measures hadn’t gone
far enough. And only 52% of university applicants felt that
arrangements for exams fairly took the impact of the pandemic
into account.
Today’s research also looks at the types of catch-up activities
that young people had been offered and took part in. The majority
(74%) of the 434 applicants surveyed by Savanta said they were
offered at least one type of catch-up activity listed over the
last academic year. 36% reported being offered some form of
tutoring – a key plank of the government’s education recovery
strategy – and 19% reported they had taken part, while over half
of university applicants (53%) reported being offered extra
in-person classes before or after school, or at lunchtime.
Teachers continue to feel concerned about the impact of the
pandemic on education. 72% think the attainment gap at their
school will widen with the return of exams. 29% of teachers in
deprived schools thought that the increase would be substantial,
almost twice as many as those in more affluent schools (16%).
Concerns are being felt among students too, with 62% of
applicants feeling they have fallen behind with their studies
compared to where they would have been without the pandemic.
Applicants were also more worried about their grades this year
than last year, with 64% of university applicants saying they
were worried about their grades, compared to 58% saying the same
in 2021. Applicants from working class backgrounds were more
likely to be concerned than those from middle class backgrounds.
These concerns come amid warnings that more students than usual
will be left without a place at their preferred university this
year, as selective universities make fewer offers and the
school-leaver population grows. The Trust is calling for
universities to give additional consideration to applicants
from disadvantaged backgrounds who have narrowly missed their
offer grades, to reflect the ongoing disruption to learning they
will have faced.
To further address the challenges facing young people, the Trust
is also recommending that:
- Schools and universities should provide as much support to
students as possible around results day and during the clearing
period this year.
- There should be further investment in catch-up activities,
with targeted funding for those from the most disadvantaged
backgrounds, recognising that the pandemic will impact the system
for years to come.
- Pupil premium funding, targeted at disadvantaged pupils,
should be extended to students in post-16 education.
James Turner, Chief Executive of the Sutton Trust,
said:
“Today’s research highlights that the impacts of the pandemic on
education are far from over – and the consequences are still
being felt among young people and their teachers.
“As we approach results day and a more competitive university
admissions cycle than ever, we must make sure that poorer
youngsters have a fair chance to succeed. Universities should
give additional consideration to disadvantaged students who have
just missed out on their grades and make sure recent gains in
widening access to higher education are not lost.
“As we recover from the pandemic, there still needs to be a
laser-like focus on supporting pupils to catch-up, through
significant ongoing investment in education recovery.”
NOTES TO EDITORS
- The Sutton Trust was
founded by Sir Peter Lampl in 1997 to improve social
mobility in Britain. The Trust has influenced government policy
on more than 30 occasions; its programmes have to
date given 50,000 young people the opportunity to
change their lives; and it has published over 250 pieces of
agenda-setting research.
- Savanta (previously YouthSight) surveyed young people aged 19
and under across Great Britain who applied to university this
year through UCAS, and due to take exams this summer, with
polling carried out online through their applicant omnibus. 434
applicants, taking either A levels and equivalents (400) or other
qualifications (34) answered the survey between
1st and 5th July 2022. The
applicant omnibus is weighted to be representative by gender, age
and school type.
- Teacher Tapp surveyed 4,089 teachers in schools across
England who reported that they were teaching a GCSE or A Level
exam class, or were a member of the senior leadership team,
between 23rd and 24th May 2022. Some questions about mock exams
and the syllabus were asked to year 13 teachers only (1,228
respondents). Survey responses are weighted to represent the
national teaching population, according to school funding and
phase, along with teacher age, gender and level of seniority.
