Education Recovery in Schools

Public Accounts Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 20 Jan 2023 Closed: 24 Sep 2023 Parliament page
The disruption to schooling during the COVID-19 pandemic led to learning loss, particularly in certain parts of the country and among children with special educational needs and disabilities, and disadvantaged children. In response to the loss of learning the Department for Education (DfE) developed various catch-up learning initiatives for the … Read more
6 Recommendations
23 Conclusions
1 Report
1 Oral session
1 Letter
1 Event
Activity timeline 5 events
24 Sep
2023
Report published
7 Jun
2023
Report published
17 Apr
2023
Correspondence
9 Mar
2023
Oral evidence
9 Mar
2023
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
Oral evidence sessions 1 session
9 Mar 2023
View on parliament.uk
Education recovery in schools
Andrew McCully · Department for Education Graham Archer · Department for Education Susan Acland-Hood · The Department for Education
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Fifty-Fifth Report - Education recovery in schools in England HC 998 7 Jun 2023 29 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
29 results
2 Recommendation Accepted in Part
Fifty-Fifth Report - Education rec…
Develop understanding of reasons for higher absence rates among disadvantaged pupils and take action
Effective recovery relies on pupils being at school but absence is higher than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly among disadvantaged pupils. In the autumn and spring terms of 2021/22, the average absence rate for all pupils was 7.4%, … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts the recommendation to develop a better understanding of why disadvantaged pupils have higher absence rates, committing to build on existing analysis by July 2024. However, it disagrees with the need for *new* targeted action, stating that comprehensive measures and existing programmes (like HAF and Pupil Premium) already address this.
HM Treasury
View details
3 Recommendation Accepted
Fifty-Fifth Report - Education rec…
Increase participation in National Tutoring Programme by understanding reasons for non-participation via evaluation
We share the Department’s disappointment that 13% of schools did not take up the National Tutoring Programme in 2021/22, meaning pupils at these schools missed out on the benefits of subsidised tutoring. Take-up of the two centrally run National Tutoring … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts the recommendation to increase participation in the National Tutoring Programme, stating it has simplified the programme, increased the subsidy rate to 50% for 2023-24, and will use administrative data and ongoing evaluation to understand barriers by August 2024.
HM Treasury
View details
4 Recommendation Accepted
Fifty-Fifth Report - Education rec…
Monitor tutoring provision after subsidy withdrawal and intervene if levels drop significantly
We are not confident that schools will be able to afford to provide tutoring on the scale required to support all the pupils who need it once the Department withdraws its subsidy. By the end of 2021/22, pupils had started … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees with Recommendation 4, committing to monitor tutoring volumes via school census and year-end statements, develop interventions for significant drops, and has already increased the 2023-24 subsidy rate from 25% to 50% to improve programme deliverability.
HM Treasury
View details
5 Recommendation Not Addressed
Fifty-Fifth Report - Education rec…
Publish progress measures for 2030 attainment targets, starting with primary pupils, and report annually
The Department has no interim targets to track progress towards the 2030 attainment ambitions set out in the Schools White Paper. The Department has not specified the impact it wants to achieve from its interventions to support education recovery because … Read more
Government Response
The government response provided addresses a different set of recommendations from the Public Accounts Committee concerning investment, and therefore does not engage with the substance of the recommendation regarding education attainment targets.
HM Treasury
View details
1 Conclusion Not Addressed
Fifty-Fifth Report - Education rec…
Committee commenced inquiry into Department for Education's school education recovery programme
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence from the Department for Education (the Department) on education recovery in schools.2
Government Response
The government acknowledges that the Committee took evidence from the Department for Education about education recovery in schools based on a report by the National Audit Office.
HM Treasury
View details
6 Conclusion
Fifty-Fifth Report - Education rec…
COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted young people's mental health, necessitating whole-school approach
Evidence submissions from the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition, Young Minds and Adoption UK highlighted the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had had on young people’s mental health.10 The Department agreed with Young Minds’ recommendation calling for a … Read more
HM Treasury
View details
7 Conclusion Rejected
Fifty-Fifth Report - Education rec…
Disadvantage gap in pupil attainment widened significantly following the COVID-19 pandemic
Disadvantaged pupils have, on average, lower attainment than other pupils, and results from the Key Stage 1, 2 and 4 tests taken in 2022 showed that this disadvantage gap had grown.12 The Department told us that it had been successfully … Read more
Government Response
The government rejects the implied recommendation, stating that narrowing the disadvantage gap is central to all existing departmental programmes rather than requiring a separate plan. It highlights ongoing £5 billion recovery programmes, the Schools White Paper, and a commitment to continue reviewing progress.
HM Treasury
View details
8 Conclusion Rejected
Fifty-Fifth Report - Education rec…
Department affirms relentless focus on closing attainment disadvantage gap through recovery programmes
We asked the Department when we would see the disadvantage gap start to close. The Department insisted that closing the gap in attainment had been the relentless focus of its education recovery work, and that almost every element of the … Read more
Government Response
The government rejects the implied recommendation, stating that narrowing the disadvantage gap is central to all existing departmental programmes rather than requiring a separate plan. It highlights ongoing £5 billion recovery programmes, the Schools White Paper, and a commitment to continue reviewing progress.
HM Treasury
View details
9 Conclusion Rejected
Fifty-Fifth Report - Education rec…
Department expects disadvantage gap to narrow from summer 2023 with current measures
The Department told us that it hoped to see the disadvantage gap narrowing again from summer 2023.16 It accepted that one could always do more, but believed it now had a strong package of measures in place. The measures included … Read more
Government Response
The government disagrees with the committee's conclusion (which they perceived as a recommendation) about the Department's hopes for narrowing the disadvantage gap, reaffirming its commitment to doing so as quickly as possible through current programmes.
HM Treasury
View details
10 Conclusion Rejected
Fifty-Fifth Report - Education rec…
Department's strategy risks a decade to return disadvantage gap to pre-pandemic levels.
We pressed the Department on when it hoped to eliminate the disadvantage gap completely. It told us that no country in the world had completely eliminated its 10 ERS0003 The Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition page 1; ERS0005 … Read more
Government Response
The government disagrees with the committee's implied challenge to reduce the disadvantage gap faster, stating its commitment to narrowing the gap as quickly as possible through existing programmes and the Schools White Paper, rather than a separate plan.
HM Treasury
View details
11 Conclusion Accepted in Part
Fifty-Fifth Report - Education rec…
Pupil absence rates, particularly for disadvantaged pupils, remain significantly higher than pre-pandemic.
The Department recognises that a key element of improving attainment is for children to be in school.19 Rates of pupil absence from school are, however, higher than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic.20 Written evidence we received from Action Tutoring … Read more
Government Response
While the committee's item is a conclusion on the high rates of pupil absence, especially among disadvantaged pupils, the government's response commits to developing a better understanding of absence rates among disadvantaged pupils by July 2024. It also states existing comprehensive measures and targeted programmes are already in place for reducing absence.
HM Treasury
View details
12 Conclusion Accepted in Part
Fifty-Fifth Report - Education rec…
Increased pupil absence is primarily driven by illness, especially persistent absence, not unauthorised reasons.
The Department told us that illness, rather than unauthorised absence, was the biggest driver of the increase in absence, particularly persistent absence. It noted that this year’s figures were for the autumn term only, when there had been quite a … Read more
Government Response
While the committee's item is a conclusion on the drivers and patterns of pupil absence, the government's response commits to developing a better understanding of absence rates among disadvantaged pupils by July 2024. It also states existing comprehensive measures and targeted programmes are already in place for reducing absence.
HM Treasury
View details
13 Conclusion Accepted in Part
Fifty-Fifth Report - Education rec…
Department's attendance strategies show progress for children in care, but overall improvement needed.
We asked the Department what its plans were to deal with pupil absences. It told us that attendance rates were improving as levels of illness reduced, but there was more to be done.25 The Department said that a lot of … Read more
Government Response
While the committee's item is a conclusion on the Department's plans for pupil absences, the government's response commits to developing a better understanding of absence rates among disadvantaged pupils by July 2024. It also states existing comprehensive measures and targeted programmes are already in place for reducing absence.
HM Treasury
View details
14 Conclusion Accepted in Part
Fifty-Fifth Report - Education rec…
Department champions shared responsibility and the Attendance Action Alliance for improving school attendance.
The Department said it had set a strong expectation that attendance was everyone’s responsibility, including parents, schools and local authorities. It also stressed the importance of leadership and data. It explained that national leadership was being provided by the Attendance … Read more
Government Response
While the committee's item is a conclusion on existing attendance efforts, the government's response commits to developing a better understanding of absence rates among disadvantaged pupils by July 2024. It also states existing comprehensive measures and targeted programmes are already in place for reducing absence.
HM Treasury
View details
15 Conclusion Accepted
Fifty-Fifth Report - Education rec…
Improved real-time attendance data from schools enables better trend analysis and benchmarking.
The Department highlighted that it was now collecting better data, drawn directly from state-funded schools’ own management information systems, which it could look at in detail, in real time. Schools voluntarily signed up to provide data and about 80% were … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees with the committee's observation on the importance of data, committing to build on existing absence analysis and use available data during 2023-24 to better understand absence rates among disadvantaged pupils.
HM Treasury
View details
16 Conclusion
Fifty-Fifth Report - Education rec…
Department's SEND improvement plan faces significant delays, extending national implementation beyond 2025.
We have been regularly pressing the Department to improve its support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) since we reported on this subject in May 2020.31 The Department finally published the results of its SEND review in … Read more
HM Treasury
View details
17 Conclusion
Fifty-Fifth Report - Education rec…
Delays in establishing SEND national standards attributed to co-creation and specific priority areas.
We asked the Department why the process was taking so long and specifically why it was not expecting to have a full set of new national standards even by the end of 2025. The Department said that it had made … Read more
HM Treasury
View details
18 Conclusion Accepted
Fifty-Fifth Report - Education rec…
School-led tutoring boosted National Tutoring Programme take-up, compensating for other scheme shortfalls.
By the end of 2021/22, pupils had started 2.5 million courses under the National Tutoring Programme.35 However, take-up of the two centrally run National Tutoring Programme schemes was below the Department’s expectations: in 2021/22, the number of courses was 45% … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees with the committee's observation of the National Tutoring Programme's performance, committing to simplify the programme by providing direct funding to schools and increasing the subsidy rate for 2023-24 to 50% to improve deliverability and understanding barriers to participation.
HM Treasury
View details
19 Conclusion Accepted
Fifty-Fifth Report - Education rec…
A significant 13% of schools failed to participate in the National Tutoring Programme.
In 2021/22, 87% of schools in England participated in some form of tutoring under the National Tutoring Programme.39 When we asked the Department why 13% of schools had not taken part at all in the National Tutoring Programme, it told … Read more
Government Response
The government has simplified the National Tutoring Programme, provided funding directly to schools, and increased the subsidy rate for 2023-24 to 50% to reduce barriers to participation. It is also using administrative data and evaluation to understand why some schools do not engage.
HM Treasury
View details
20 Conclusion Accepted
Fifty-Fifth Report - Education rec…
Department actively persuades reluctant schools to engage with National Tutoring Programme.
The Department said there were a range of different reasons for why schools chose to engage with tutoring; some would be about their view of the value of tutoring and some would be about the process of engaging people to … Read more
Government Response
The government has simplified the National Tutoring Programme, provided funding directly to schools, and increased the subsidy rate for 2023-24 to 50% to reduce barriers to participation. It is also using administrative data and evaluation to understand why some schools do not engage.
HM Treasury
View details
21 Conclusion
Fifty-Fifth Report - Education rec…
Department shares best practice and leverages data for National Tutoring Programme targeting and evaluation.
The Department told us of a number of ways it had been sharing best practice on the National Tutoring Programme. These included offering direct support to schools and having webinars and shared promotions and research. It highlighted in particular research … Read more
HM Treasury
View details
22 Conclusion Accepted
Fifty-Fifth Report - Education rec…
Department progressively reduces National Tutoring Programme subsidy, shifting funding responsibility to schools.
The Department provided funding of £594 million for the National Tutoring Programme taking 2020/21 and 2021/22 together, and plans to provide a further £527 million in the following two years.45 It is progressively reducing the rate of subsidy it provides … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees with the committee's observation regarding funding and subsidy reduction, committing to monitor tutoring volumes and ensure tutoring is embedded across schools in England from 2024 as a staple offer, with further details to follow.
HM Treasury
View details
23 Conclusion Accepted
Fifty-Fifth Report - Education rec…
Schools struggle to fund tutoring costs amidst reducing Departmental subsidy rates.
Written evidence we received from The Tutor Trust noted that some schools, particularly smaller primary schools, were struggling to fund the cost of tutoring in 2022/23, when the Department was providing a subsidy of 60%.47 We also heard from Action … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees with the committee's conclusion about schools struggling to fund tutoring due to subsidy reductions, and has responded by increasing the 2023-24 subsidy rate from 25% to 50% to make the programme more deliverable for schools, alongside ongoing monitoring of tutoring volumes.
HM Treasury
View details
24 Conclusion Accepted
Fifty-Fifth Report - Education rec…
Department expects schools to fund tutoring from mainstream budgets, citing overall funding increases.
We asked the Department how, as the level of subsidy reduced, schools would be able to meet the cost of continuing to participate in the National Tutoring Programme. The Department told us that it had always been clear that the … Read more
Government Response
The government has set the National Tutoring Programme subsidy rate for 2023-24 at 50% to make it more deliverable for schools, allowing them to meet costs with less of their own money. It also continues to monitor tutoring volumes and is developing further interventions.
HM Treasury
View details
25 Conclusion Accepted
Fifty-Fifth Report - Education rec…
Department acknowledges significant subsidy reduction and commits to monitoring tutoring impact.
The Department acknowledged, however, that the fall in the level of subsidy was significant and told us it had accepted the NAO’s recommendation that it should model the impact of moving from 60% to 25% in a single year.50 It … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees with the committee's conclusion that monitoring tutoring levels and intervening if necessary is important. It confirms ongoing monitoring and is developing interventions, having already increased the 2023-24 tutoring subsidy rate from 25% to 50% to make the program more deliverable.
HM Treasury
View details
26 Conclusion Accepted
Fifty-Fifth Report - Education rec…
Department prioritises quality and training to build a sustainable National Tutoring Programme market.
We asked the Department how it would create a sustainable tuition market, given the different skills needed for tutoring and classroom teaching. It told us that quality was key and that, important though finding additional tutors was, effective practice and … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees with the committee's conclusion regarding a sustainable tuition market, committing to embed tutoring across all schools in England from 2024 and expecting it to continue as a staple offer, with further information to be provided in due course.
HM Treasury
View details
27 Recommendation Rejected
Fifty-Fifth Report - Education rec…
Set clear metrics and specific targets for education recovery programme impact.
In 2021, we recommended that the Department should set out clear metrics that it would use to monitor the catch-up programme, and indicate what level of performance would represent success, and the Department agreed with this recommendation.53 However, although the … Read more
Government Response
The government rejects the recommendation to set clear metrics and targets for the impact of education recovery interventions. It states it already publishes national attainment data, key performance indicators, and outlines ambitions in the Schools White Paper to measure progress across the school system.
HM Treasury
View details
28 Recommendation Rejected
Fifty-Fifth Report - Education rec…
Department set long-term attainment ambitions but lacks interim progress milestones.
In the March 2022 Schools White Paper, the Department set ambitions that, by 2030, 90% of primary school children would achieve the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, and the percentage of children meeting the expected standard in the … Read more
Government Response
The government disagrees with the recommendation to set explicit milestones for its 2030 ambitions, arguing that existing national attainment data, KPIs, and forthcoming statistics already provide sufficient measures of progress.
HM Treasury
View details
29 Conclusion Rejected
Fifty-Fifth Report - Education rec…
Department relies on outdated Outcome Delivery Plan metrics for tracking progress and accountability.
The Department pointed us to the performance metrics that it published every year in its Outcome Delivery Plan. It said that it published a wide range of metrics at Key Stages 2 and 4, and the results of Key Stage … Read more
Government Response
The government rejects the implicit recommendation concerning its performance metrics, stating it already publishes national attainment data for various key stages and critical programmes. It indicates these, along with ambitions in the Schools White Paper, collectively provide measures for progress.
HM Treasury
View details
Government Response AI assessment · 25 of 6 classified
Accepted 11
Accepted in Part 5
Not Addressed 2
Rejected 7
Total 6 recs + 23 conclusions
Correspondence 1 letter
17 Apr 2023 Correspondence from Susan Acland-Hood, Permanent Secretary, Department for Education, re Public Account Committee Oral Evidence Session “Education recovery in schools”– 9 March – corrections 30 April 2023
Parliament page