COVID-19: Education

Public Accounts Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 8 Feb 2021 Closed: 5 Aug 2021 Parliament page
Towards the end of March 2020, as part of the measures taken to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, schools closed to all pupils except vulnerable children and children of key workers. Some year groups returned to school in June, but most children did not return until September 2020. Therefore, for several … Read more
2 Recommendations
32 Conclusions
1 Report
1 Oral session
2 Letters
1 Event
Activity timeline 6 events
14 Sep
2021
Correspondence
2 Sep
2021
Report published
26 May
2021
Report published
25 Mar
2021
Oral evidence
25 Mar
2021
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Wilson Room, Portcullis House
22 Mar
2021
Correspondence
Oral evidence sessions 1 session
25 Mar 2021
View on parliament.uk
COVID-19: Education
Andrew McCully · Department for Education Mike Pettifer · Department for Education Susan Acland-Hood · The Department for Education
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Third Report - COVID-19: Support for children’s education HC 240 26 May 2021 34 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
34 results
2 Conclusion
Third Report - COVID-19: Support f…
Only a small minority of vulnerable children attended school in the early stages of the...
Only a small minority of vulnerable children attended school in the early stages of the pandemic, increasing the risk of hidden harm. The Department acknowledges that the pandemic presented real safeguarding challenges. It kept schools open for vulnerable children—for example, … Read more
Government Response
2.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: January 2022 2.2 The department continues to work with the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) and local … Read more
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3 Conclusion
Third Report - COVID-19: Support f…
The disruption to schooling had a particularly detrimental impact on children with special educational needs...
The disruption to schooling had a particularly detrimental impact on children with special educational needs and disabilities, in terms of both their education and their health. In spring 2020, the Department temporarily changed aspects of the law on EHC needs … Read more
Government Response
3.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Autumn 2021 3.2 As part of the department’s 2020-21 recovery plan, it is working closely with the Department for … Read more
HM Treasury
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4 Recommendation
Third Report - COVID-19: Support f…
The Department has no vision for building on the investment it has made in IT...
The Department has no vision for building on the investment it has made in IT equipment for vulnerable and disadvantaged children. In the early stages of the pandemic, the Department initially considered trying to provide 602,000 laptops and tablets, and … Read more
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5 Conclusion
Third Report - COVID-19: Support f…
The Department has not set out how it will judge the effectiveness of the catch-...
The Department has not set out how it will judge the effectiveness of the catch- up programme in making up for the learning children lost as a result of the disruption to schooling. The disruption has adversely affected children’s learning … Read more
Government Response
5.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Autumn 2021 5.2 The government’s education recovery strategy aims to reduce year on year lost learning due to COVID-19. … Read more
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6 Recommendation
Third Report - COVID-19: Support f…
The success of the National Tutoring Programme will depend on the quality of provision and...
The success of the National Tutoring Programme will depend on the quality of provision and whether it reaches the disadvantaged children who need it most. Previous evaluations by the Education Endowment Foundation indicate that tutoring programmes are effective in supporting … Read more
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1 Conclusion
Third Report - COVID-19: Support f…
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence...
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence from the Department for Education (the Department) on its response to the COVID-19 pandemic in spring and summer 2020, and on how it is supporting … Read more
Government Response
Based on a report by the National Audit Office, the Committee took evidence on 23 March 2021 from the Department for Education (the Department) on its response to the COVID-19 … Read more
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7 Conclusion
Third Report - COVID-19: Support f…
We asked the Department when it expected to conduct a lessons-learned exercise.
We asked the Department when it expected to conduct a lessons-learned exercise. It highlighted that the pandemic had often required it to take action collectively with other organisations as it could not respond unilaterally to what was a health situation. … Read more
Government Response
1.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: December 2022 1.2 The Department for Education’s (the department) approach will be to take forward the Committee’s recommendation in … Read more
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8 Conclusion
Third Report - COVID-19: Support f…
The Department recognised that continued school attendance was an important way of safeguarding and supporting...
The Department recognised that continued school attendance was an important way of safeguarding and supporting vulnerable children while schools were closed to most pupils. However, the proportion of children defined as in need under the Children Act 1989, or with … Read more
Government Response
2.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: January 2022 2.2 The department continues to work with the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) and local … Read more
HM Treasury
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9 Conclusion
Third Report - COVID-19: Support f…
The Department explained that people had been extremely anxious in the early months of the...
The Department explained that people had been extremely anxious in the early months of the pandemic and had taken the “stay at home” message seriously, and it had therefore been a challenge to persuade them to send their children to … Read more
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10 Conclusion
Third Report - COVID-19: Support f…
We asked the Department whether its definition of ‘vulnerable children’ remained relevant in light of...
We asked the Department whether its definition of ‘vulnerable children’ remained relevant in light of the pandemic. The Department explained that two elements of the definition that it used to decide who could access a school place—children with a social … Read more
Government Response
2.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: January 2022 2.2 The department continues to work with the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) and local … Read more
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11 Conclusion
Third Report - COVID-19: Support f…
The number of referrals to children’s social care services, during the weeks surveyed between 27...
The number of referrals to children’s social care services, during the weeks surveyed between 27 April and 16 August 2020, was around 15% lower than the average for the same period over the previous three years.17 In its written evidence, … Read more
Government Response
2.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: January 2022 2.2 The department continues to work with the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) and local … Read more
HM Treasury
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12 Conclusion
Third Report - COVID-19: Support f…
The Department told us that there had not been the spike in referrals to children’s...
The Department told us that there had not been the spike in referrals to children’s social care services which many people had expected when schools fully re-opened in September 2020, and that referrals were still around 10% below normal levels … Read more
Government Response
2.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: January 2022 2.2 The department continues to work with the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) and local … Read more
HM Treasury
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13 Conclusion
Third Report - COVID-19: Support f…
The NSPCC also emphasised that school environments were crucial for the educational and social development...
The NSPCC also emphasised that school environments were crucial for the educational and social development of children, acting as places of support for their mental health.21 The Department highlighted that it had put in place a number of sources of … Read more
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14 Conclusion
Third Report - COVID-19: Support f…
On 1 May 2020, the Department temporarily changed aspects of the law on EHC needs...
On 1 May 2020, the Department temporarily changed aspects of the law on EHC needs assessments and plans, to give local authorities, health commissioning bodies, education providers and other bodies more flexibility in the context of the pandemic. These changes … Read more
Government Response
3.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Autumn 2021 3.2 As part of the department’s 2020-21 recovery plan, it is working closely with the Department for … Read more
HM Treasury
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15 Conclusion
Third Report - COVID-19: Support f…
Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) who had an EHC plan were eligible...
Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) who had an EHC plan were eligible to continue attending school throughout the pandemic, provided a risk assessment had determined that they would be at least as safe in school as at … Read more
Government Response
3.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Autumn 2021 3.2 As part of the department’s 2020-21 recovery plan, it is working closely with the Department for … Read more
HM Treasury
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16 Conclusion
Third Report - COVID-19: Support f…
We asked the Department why some schools had felt unable to offer places to children...
We asked the Department why some schools had felt unable to offer places to children with EHC plans. It told us that the situation changed over the course of the pandemic – for example, attendance of children with EHC plans … Read more
Government Response
3.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Autumn 2021 3.2 As part of the department’s 2020-21 recovery plan, it is working closely with the Department for … Read more
HM Treasury
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17 Conclusion
Third Report - COVID-19: Support f…
Written evidence we received made it clear that some children with SEND struggled to learn...
Written evidence we received made it clear that some children with SEND struggled to learn remotely. SENSE told us that home learning resources were not always appropriate or tailored to the needs of children with complex disabilities, and that many … Read more
Government Response
3.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Autumn 2021 3.2 As part of the department’s 2020-21 recovery plan, it is working closely with the Department for … Read more
HM Treasury
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18 Conclusion
Third Report - COVID-19: Support f…
We asked the Department what actions it had taken to help children with SEND to...
We asked the Department what actions it had taken to help children with SEND to learn from home. It told us that it recognised many children with SEND faced real difficulties in learning remotely. As examples of actions it had … Read more
Government Response
3.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Autumn 2021 3.2 As part of the department’s 2020-21 recovery plan, it is working closely with the Department for … Read more
HM Treasury
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19 Conclusion
Third Report - COVID-19: Support f…
We asked the Department whether it was evaluating the impact of not being able to...
We asked the Department whether it was evaluating the impact of not being able to attend school on the health of children with SEND. In subsequent written evidence, it told us that it would continue to assess the impact of … Read more
Government Response
3.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Autumn 2021 3.2 As part of the department’s 2020-21 recovery plan, it is working closely with the Department for … Read more
HM Treasury
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20 Conclusion
Third Report - COVID-19: Support f…
The Department recognised that a lack of IT equipment was likely to hamper the ability...
The Department recognised that a lack of IT equipment was likely to hamper the ability of vulnerable and disadvantaged children to learn remotely and access online social care services. It initially considered providing 602,000 laptops or tablets and 100,000 4G … Read more
Government Response
4.1 The government disagrees with the Committee’s recommendation. 4.2 The government has invested over £400 million in devices, internet access and training to support access to remote education and online … Read more
HM Treasury
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21 Conclusion
Third Report - COVID-19: Support f…
The Department continued to distribute IT equipment during the 2020/21 school year, focusing on disadvantaged...
The Department continued to distribute IT equipment during the 2020/21 school year, focusing on disadvantaged children whose schooling had been disrupted or who had been advised to shield for medical reasons.38 The Department told us that by spring 2021 it … Read more
Government Response
4.1 The government disagrees with the Committee’s recommendation. 4.2 The government has invested over £400 million in devices, internet access and training to support access to remote education and online … Read more
HM Treasury
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22 Conclusion
Third Report - COVID-19: Support f…
In their written evidence, the National Association of Head Teachers and The Children’s Society told...
In their written evidence, the National Association of Head Teachers and The Children’s Society told us that the limited scope of the Department’s provision in the spring and summer of 2020 meant that many children did not have the devices … Read more
Government Response
4.1 The government disagrees with the Committee’s recommendation. 4.2 The government has invested over £400 million in devices, internet access and training to support access to remote education and online … Read more
HM Treasury
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23 Conclusion
Third Report - COVID-19: Support f…
We asked the Department about its plan for remote learning in the future since the...
We asked the Department about its plan for remote learning in the future since the laptops that had been distributed would need replacing in due course. The Department told us that the pandemic had shown that there was an appetite … Read more
Government Response
4.1 The government disagrees with the Committee’s recommendation. 4.2 The government has invested over £400 million in devices, internet access and training to support access to remote education and online … Read more
HM Treasury
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24 Conclusion
Third Report - COVID-19: Support f…
The Department clarified that schools or local authorities owned the devices that had been supplied.
The Department clarified that schools or local authorities owned the devices that had been supplied. They would need to decide how to deal with obsolescence and maintain the provision of up-to-date equipment for pupils, using their core budgets.44 42 Q … Read more
Government Response
4.1 The government disagrees with the Committee’s recommendation. 4.2 The government has invested over £400 million in devices, internet access and training to support access to remote education and online … Read more
HM Treasury
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25 Conclusion
Third Report - COVID-19: Support f…
We received written evidence from a number of research bodies indicating that disadvantaged children had...
We received written evidence from a number of research bodies indicating that disadvantaged children had suffered most as a result of the disruption to schooling. A survey by the Institute for Fiscal Studies showed that, on average, students from disadvantaged … Read more
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26 Conclusion
Third Report - COVID-19: Support f…
Evidence from the National Foundation for Educational Research, based on estimates by teachers in July...
Evidence from the National Foundation for Educational Research, based on estimates by teachers in July 2020, indicated that on average the learning gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers had increased by 46%. Teachers in the most deprived schools were … Read more
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27 Conclusion
Third Report - COVID-19: Support f…
We challenged the Department on why it had not set basic expectations for schools’ provision...
We challenged the Department on why it had not set basic expectations for schools’ provision during the 2019/20 summer term. It highlighted that the circumstances had been unprecedented, and that schools had been asked to work in entirely new ways, … Read more
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28 Conclusion
Third Report - COVID-19: Support f…
In June 2020, to help make up for the learning that children had lost during...
In June 2020, to help make up for the learning that children had lost during the disruption to schooling, the Department announced £1 billion of funding for a catch- up learning programme. The programme includes a £650 million universal catch-up … Read more
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29 Conclusion
Third Report - COVID-19: Support f…
The Department told us that it was determined that the catch-up learning programme should address...
The Department told us that it was determined that the catch-up learning programme should address the widening attainment gap between disadvantaged children and their peers. For example, it explained that its focus for the ‘academic mentors’ scheme was on schools … Read more
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30 Conclusion
Third Report - COVID-19: Support f…
We asked the Department how it would know that the catch-up programme was working.
We asked the Department how it would know that the catch-up programme was working. It said that evaluation would be a central part of the development of the NTP, and that success would be achieved if the schemes reached large … Read more
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31 Conclusion
Third Report - COVID-19: Support f…
The Department told us that past evaluations by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) had shown...
The Department told us that past evaluations by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) had shown that tutoring programmes could help children make between three and five months’ progress in their learning.54 The Department has provided £80 million for the NTP … Read more
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32 Conclusion
Third Report - COVID-19: Support f…
The Department said that tutoring had the potential to be an important and lasting part...
The Department said that tutoring had the potential to be an important and lasting part of the educational landscape.56 However, it acknowledged that the tutoring market was developing, and that securing enough tutors and developing the workforce was a challenge … Read more
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33 Conclusion
Third Report - COVID-19: Support f…
Although the tuition partners scheme is intended to support disadvantaged children, the Department has not...
Although the tuition partners scheme is intended to support disadvantaged children, the Department has not specified what proportion of children accessing the scheme should be eligible for pupil premium. At February 2021, just 44% of children receiving tuition were eligible … Read more
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34 Conclusion
Third Report - COVID-19: Support f…
Alongside the NTP tuition partners scheme, the Department is funding an academic mentors scheme led...
Alongside the NTP tuition partners scheme, the Department is funding an academic mentors scheme led by Teach First, which aims to place between 1,000 and 1,200 mentors in disadvantaged schools in the 2020/21 school year. However, at February 2021, more … Read more
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Correspondence 2 letters
14 Sep 2021 Correspondence from Susan Acland-Hood, Permanent Secretary, Department for Education, re 3rd PAC Report of Session 2020-21 – COVID 19: Support for children’s education, dated 1 August 2021
Parliament page
22 Mar 2021 Correspondence from Paul Whiteman, General Secretary, National Association of Head Teachers, re concerns about educational disadvantage, dated 17 March 2021
Parliament page