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
12 Recommendations
22 Conclusions
1 Report
1 Oral session
2 Letters
1 Event
Activity timeline 5 events
14 Sep
2021
Correspondence
2 Sep
2021
Report published
26 May
2021
Report published
25 Mar
2021
Oral evidence
22 Mar
2021
Correspondence
Oral evidence sessions 1 session
25 Mar 2021
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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
19 results
Clear
2 Recommendation Accepted
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
The government agrees, committing to work with ADCS and local authorities to understand reasons for low social care referrals, detailing ongoing data collection, support for LAs, and a £24 million Children’s Social Care recovery fund to safeguard children.
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3 Recommendation Accepted
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
The government agrees, outlining specific actions within its recovery plan including close collaboration with DHSC to assess therapy access, significant funding for mental health services, and investment in mental health support teams in schools for children with SEND.
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5 Recommendation Accepted
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
The government agrees, committing to developing metrics to monitor lost learning and write to the Committee by Autumn 2021, while also detailing multiple commissioned studies and evaluations to assess learning loss, catch-up premium use, and intervention effectiveness.
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6 Recommendation Accepted
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
Government Response
The government accepts the recommendation, stating it will continue the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) in 2021-22 with increased reach and focus on areas of low reach and attainment through operational targets. It commits to monitoring regional spread, engagement, and holding providers accountable for tuition quality through regular reporting and monitoring, with evaluations planned for both years of the NTP.
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7 Recommendation Accepted
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
The government agrees, committing to carry out a collaborative lessons-learned exercise consistent with other cross-government activities, engaging with the Cabinet Office, and continuously analyzing its COVID-19 response by December 2022.
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9 Conclusion Accepted
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
Government Response
The government agrees with the Committee's recommendation, stating it continues to collect and report data on referrals to children's social care, supports local authorities in safeguarding vulnerable children, and has allocated £24 million through the Children’s Social Care recovery fund for regional plans, with a target implementation date of January 2022.
HM Treasury
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12 Conclusion Accepted
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
The government agrees with the committee's observation regarding reduced social care referrals, detailing ongoing work with ADCS and LAs to collect and interpret data, and the use of the Vulnerable Children and Young People Survey. It commits £24 million to the Children’s Social Care recovery fund for regional plans and continues to intervene in local authorities rated inadequate for social care services.
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13 Conclusion Accepted
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
Government Response
The government details specific financial commitments to support children's mental health and wellbeing, including £500 million announced by DHSC for mental health (with £31 million targeting individuals with learning disabilities and autistic people, including £3 million for respite services). Additionally, the Department is investing £79 million to expand mental health in schools support teams to cover 35% of pupils by 2023.
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16 Conclusion Accepted
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
The government agrees with the committee's observation, detailing its 2020-21 recovery plan for children with SEND, which includes close work with DHSC, NHS England, and Public Health England to assess therapy impacts. It highlights £500 million announced by DHSC for mental health, with £31 million allocated for individuals with learning disabilities and autistic people, and an additional £79 million investment in mental health in schools support teams.
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18 Conclusion Accepted
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
The government agrees with the committee's observation, detailing its 2020-21 recovery plan for children with SEND, which includes close work with DHSC, NHS England, and Public Health England to assess therapy impacts. It highlights £500 million announced by DHSC for mental health, with £31 million allocated for individuals with learning disabilities and autistic people, and an additional £79 million investment in mental health in schools support teams.
HM Treasury
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19 Recommendation Accepted
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
The government agrees, stating it is working closely with DHSC to assess the pandemic's impact on SEND children's access to therapies and detailing significant funding for mental health support teams and services for autistic children and those with learning disabilities.
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25 Conclusion Accepted
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
Government Response
The government agrees with the committee's findings regarding disadvantaged children and is actively implementing an education recovery strategy. It is developing metrics, commissioning studies for baseline assessment and ongoing monitoring of learning loss, and evaluating specific interventions to understand their effectiveness.
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26 Recommendation Accepted
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
Government Response
The government agrees, committing to developing metrics to monitor and reduce year-on-year lost learning, and detailing several commissioned studies and evaluations to track learning loss and the impact of catch-up interventions, with results to be collated to assess overall programme performance.
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28 Conclusion Accepted
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
Government Response
The government agrees with the Committee's observation regarding the catch-up learning programme, committing to develop metrics to monitor lost learning, commission evaluations of specific interventions, and provide a detailed update to the Committee in Autumn 2021.
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29 Conclusion Accepted
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
Government Response
The government agrees with the committee's observation, stating it is developing metrics to monitor the education recovery strategy and will report to the Committee in Autumn 2021. It has commissioned Renaissance Learning and Ipsos MORI for baseline assessments and studies on learning loss and catch-up premium spending, and will evaluate specific interventions like the National Tutoring Programme.
HM Treasury
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31 Conclusion Accepted
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
Government Response
The government agrees with the committee's observation regarding the National Tutoring Programme (NTP), stating it will continue the NTP in 2021-22 with increased reach and monitor regional spread and engagement. It will set operational targets for providers to ensure minimum reach in low-attainment areas and conduct evaluations for both years of the programme.
HM Treasury
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32 Conclusion Accepted
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
Government Response
The government acknowledges the issues around tutoring market development and quality, detailing how it is continuing and expanding the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) for 2021-22 with increased reach, operational targets for providers, and rigorous quality monitoring to address these challenges.
HM Treasury
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33 Conclusion Accepted
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
Government Response
The government agrees with the committee's observation regarding the National Tutoring Programme (NTP), stating it will continue the NTP in 2021-22 with increased reach and monitor regional spread and engagement. It will set operational targets for providers to ensure minimum reach in low-attainment areas and conduct evaluations for both years of the programme.
HM Treasury
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34 Conclusion Accepted
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
Government Response
The government acknowledges the academic mentor shortfall and describes its continuation and expansion of the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) for academic year 2021-22, committing to increased reach, operational targets for provider performance, and ongoing quality monitoring, aligning with its earlier stated intention to increase mentor numbers.
HM Treasury
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Government Response AI assessment · 33 of 12 classified
Accepted 19
Acknowledged 6
Not Addressed 2
Rejected 6
Total 12 recs + 22 conclusions
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
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