25 Accepted

We received written evidence from a number of research bodies indicating that disadvantaged children had...

Conclusion
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 backgrounds spent less time on remote learning and were less likely to have access to online classes, home technology and a quiet study space.45 The Institute for Social and Economic Research also found that children in the most advantaged families, who had their own computer, spent more time on school work than disadvantaged children, who had to share a computer.46
Government Response Summary
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.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government Accepted
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. The department is currently developing metrics to monitor this and will write to the Committee in Autumn 2021. 5.3 Monitoring overall education recovery, including for specific groups of learners will track and provide evaluation of specific interventions. 5.4 The department has commissioned Renaissance Learning, and their subcontractor, the Education Policy Institute, to provide a baseline assessment of the learning loss and catch-up needs for pupils in schools in England and to monitor progress over the course of the academic year 2020-21; and are seeking commercial agreements for further academic years. 5.5 The department has a contract with Ipsos MORI, in consortium with Sheffield Hallam University and the Centre for Education and Youth to undertake a mixed-methods study design (including surveys, interviews, and case studies) to examine how schools are tackling the issue of lost learning. 5.6 Results from the study will be used to understand how the catch-up premium funds have been spent and how best to support schools to tackle learning loss. 5.7 The department has commissioned evaluations of specific interventions, such as the National Tutoring Programme, to understand the effectiveness of individual interventions and will use management information to track progress against delivery. The department will collate this evidence to assess the performance of the overall programme.
Addressee Bodies
HM Treasury
Timeline
Recommendation age 5.2 yrs
Report published 26 May 2021