Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the findings of the study funded by the Nuffield Foundation entitled A generation at risk: Rebalancing education in the post-pandemic era, published in April 2024.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Predicting GCSE results is very difficult as there are many drivers that can interact in unforeseen ways. However, as the Nuffield Foundation’s report indicates, the pandemic deprived children of the advantages of studying together within the safety and support of their schools.
The pandemic created a unique challenge for teachers, staff, students and families. Minimising its impact on education and tackling the challenges has been the department’s priority from the start. Almost £5 billion was made available specifically for education recovery, with support focussed on those who needed it most, while giving education providers as much flexibility as possible to tailor-make help for their own circumstances. This includes the National Tutoring Programme (NTP), which focuses on disadvantaged pupils and those who have fallen behind, and has seen nearly five million tutoring courses start since it launched in November 2020.
The department knows that disadvantaged children and pupils with a special educational need or disability were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. The department continues to take a range of steps to give priority support and deliver programmes to help them, including improving the quality of teaching and curriculum resources, strengthening the school system and providing targeted support where needed. The department is also supporting disadvantaged pupils through the pupil premium, which is rising to almost £2.9 billion in 2024/25, which is the highest in cash terms since this funding began.
Further to this, latest results from 2023 show that over 45% of pupils sitting GCSEs achieved a grade 5 or higher in both English and mathematics, which is an increase of more than two percentage points compared with pre-pandemic 2019 levels and almost three percentage points when compared with 2017.
England recently came fourth in primary reading out of 43 countries which tested pupils of the same age in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS). Despite disruption from the pandemic, England’s score remained stable and well above the international and European averages.
Furthermore, the department has committed to making schools safe, calm and supportive environments, which promote and support mental wellbeing alongside delivering an excellent education.
Enrichment activities can deepen children’s in-school experience while supporting them to develop their socio-emotional skills. The department is now delivering the vision set out in its Schools White Paper, which states that every child and young person will have access to high-quality extra-curricular provision, including an entitlement to take part in sport, music and cultural opportunities.
Monitoring and measuring wellbeing in schools strengthens this, which is why the department’s guidance on promoting a whole-school approach to pupil wellbeing includes this as one of its eight key principles. You can find out more here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/614cc965d3bf7f718518029c/Promoting_children_and_young_people_s_mental_health_and_wellbeing.pdf.
The department is supporting all state schools and colleges with a grant to train a senior mental health lead. To date 15,100 settings have claimed a grant so far, including more than 7 in 10 state-funded secondary schools.
Intervening early is critical. To expand access to early mental health support, the department is continuing to roll out Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) to schools and colleges. MHSTs deliver evidence-based interventions for mild to moderate mental health issues, support the senior mental health lead (where established) in each school or college to introduce or develop whole school or college approaches and give timely advice to school and college staff, and liaise with external specialist services, to help children and young people get the right support to stay in education. The department is extending coverage of MHSTs to cover at least 50% by the end of March 2025.
May. 02 2024
Source Page: UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, UK Domestic Advisory Group: 2024 to 2025 priorities reportFound: consulted asked the UK to explore interoperability with the EU’s new system of mutual recognition of disability
May. 02 2024
Source Page: Quarterly autism statistics for NI (January - March 2024)Found: Quarterly autism statistics for NI (January - March 2024) These tables set out the number and rate of children
May. 02 2024
Source Page: Flu & COVID-19 Vaccination Programme (FVCV) 2023-24 Child Rights and Wellbeing Impact AssessmentFound: who fall under the eligibility criteria for flu and / or Covid • Those on the learning disability
May. 02 2024
Source Page: Mental Health and Capacity and Capacity Reform Programme: Delivery Plan October 2023 – April 2025Found: Children’s Rights; and consideration of implementation of the proposed Human Rights Bill and Learning Disability
May. 02 2024
Source Page: Flu & COVID-19 Vaccination Programme (FVCV) 2023-24 Equality Impact AssessmentFound: Flu can be serious and life -threatening, even for healthy children.
Found: (1) After section 2 (parental responsibility for children) of the Children Act 1989, insert—
Mentions:
1: O'Kane, Paul (Lab - West Scotland) avoid cuts and by taking action to end residential care charges and bring people who have a learning disability - Speech Link
2: Gosal, Pam (Con - West Scotland) My constituent is a single mother with three children who is trapped in a two-bedroom dwelling in Westwood - Speech Link
3: Balfour, Jeremy (Con - Lothian) The ICO has advised the Scottish Government that it needs to address serious risks of harm to children - Speech Link
Mentions:
1: Pauline Latham (Con - Mid Derbyshire) It came into force in February last year, and makes it a criminal offence to exploit vulnerable children - Speech Link
2: Nick Fletcher (Con - Don Valley) Her dither and delay is a disaster, and it is affecting our children. - Speech Link
3: Penny Mordaunt (Con - Portsmouth North) Friend for standing up for, and campaigning on behalf of, parents and children in his constituency. - Speech Link
4: Christine Jardine (LD - Edinburgh West) 92% of councillors were white, 40% were retired, 46% had caring responsibilities and just 12% had a disability - Speech Link
Mentions:
1: Yousaf, Humza (SNP - Glasgow Pollok) saying that those anti-poverty measures are not working, but it is estimated that they will lift 100,000 children - Speech Link
2: Sarwar, Anas (Lab - Glasgow) Almost 10,000 children are living in temporary accommodation, millions of pounds is being wasted on failed - Speech Link
3: Yousaf, Humza (SNP - Glasgow Pollok) It is estimated that our anti-poverty measures will lift 100,000 children out of poverty.Anas Sarwar - Speech Link
4: Sarwar, Anas (Lab - Glasgow) their homes to pay for hip replacements.There are mothers going without food in order to feed their children - Speech Link