The Government’s Catch-up programme

Education Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 29 Nov 2021 Closed: 20 Oct 2022 Parliament page
The Education Committee is holding an inquiry on the effectiveness of the Government’s catch-up programme. The pandemic has had a significant impact on all aspects of pupils’ lives. Pupils have lost months of learning, with disadvantaged pupils the worst affected. To date, the Government has spent around £5 billion on … Read more
14 Recommendations
6 Conclusions
1 Report
3 Oral sessions
3 Events
Activity timeline 8 events
25 May
2022
Report published
10 Mar
2022
Report published
25 Jan
2022
Oral evidence
25 Jan
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 15, Palace of Westminster
12 Jan
2022
Oral evidence
12 Jan
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 15, Palace of Westminster
7 Dec
2021
Oral evidence
7 Dec
2021
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 15, Palace of Westminster
Oral evidence sessions 3 sessions
25 Jan 2022
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The Government's Catch-up programme
Andy Green · Copleston High School Jill Thompson · Kelvin Grove Primary School Jo Coton · NET Academies Trust John Blaney · BMAT STEM Nicola Shipman · Steel City Schools Partnership Orienne Langley-Sadler · Elms Bank School and College Ruth Holden · Mulberry Academy Shoreditch
12 Jan 2022
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The Government's Catch-up programme; Accountability hearing with Robin Walker MP
Graham Archer · Department for Education Karen Guthrie · Randstad Mr Robin Walker · Department for Education
7 Dec 2021
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The Government’s Catch-up programme
David Laws · Education Policy Institute Nick Bent · The Tutor Trust Professor Becky Francis · Education Endowment Foundation
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Programme fit for purpose? HC 940 10 Mar 2022 20 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
20 results
1 Conclusion Acknowledged
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Pr…
There is no doubt that school closures have had a devasting effect on children’s education.
There is no doubt that school closures have had a devasting effect on children’s education. One 2020 study found that children locked down at home in the UK spent an average of only 2.5 hours each day doing schoolwork, and … Read more
Government Response
The government recognises the need to understand the full impact Covid-19 has had on children and young people, and is investing in research to establish the effects on attainment, mental health and wellbeing.
Department for Education
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2 Recommendation Acknowledged
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Pr…
The Department must continue to establish the full effect of the pandemic on children and...
The Department must continue to establish the full effect of the pandemic on children and young people. This must consider the impacts felt by children from disadvantaged backgrounds and on the regional disparities of support offered. This must not be … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges the need to establish the full effect of the pandemic on children and young people, including impacts on mental health and regional disparities, and states that it is investing in research, monitoring data, and considering impacts on specific pupil characteristics, including ethnicity and free school meals eligibility.
Department for Education
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3 Conclusion Acknowledged
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Pr…
Stakeholders have expressed concerns over the sufficiency of the Government’s investment in the Catch-up Programme.
Stakeholders have expressed concerns over the sufficiency of the Government’s investment in the Catch-up Programme. The Department’s own annual report from 2020/21 rated the risk of its measures to address lost learning being insufficient as “critical/very likely”. The sector needs … Read more
Government Response
The government recognises concerns about the impact of the pandemic on children and young people’s academic progress and has committed almost £5bn for an ambitious and evidence based, multi-year education recovery plan which includes funding for tutoring, teaching, and direct funding targeted at those that need it most.
Department for Education
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4 Conclusion Acknowledged
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Pr…
We welcome the funding the Government has already committed to help pupils catch up, but...
We welcome the funding the Government has already committed to help pupils catch up, but we believe the existing funding arrangements for catch-up amount to a spaghetti junction of funding, piling more work on teachers and support staff who have … Read more
Government Response
The government welcomes the committee’s interest in the catch-up programme and recognises concerns about the impact of the pandemic and the need to ensure pupils recover learning.
Department for Education
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5 Recommendation Accepted
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Pr…
Teachers and school staff know their pupils and know what interventions are likely to bring...
Teachers and school staff know their pupils and know what interventions are likely to bring the most benefit. The Catch-up Programme to date has been fragmented, and a complex bureaucratic system for applications may have hampered some schools’ ability to … Read more
Government Response
The government will simplify the National Tutoring Programme by allocating all tutoring funding directly to schools and has allocated recovery premium based on disadvantage, and Ofsted considers the use of catch-up funding within inspections.
Department for Education
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6 Conclusion Acknowledged
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Pr…
The impact of school closures and the pandemic has resulted in a reversal of the...
The impact of school closures and the pandemic has resulted in a reversal of the progress made in narrowing the attainment gap, with children in the North disproportionately affected. It is also alarming that children and young people in the … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges the disproportionate impact of school closures and the pandemic on children in the North and has invested in research to understand the full impact of Covid-19 on children and young people, including its effect on attainment and mental health and wellbeing, while also considering regional disparities.
Department for Education
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7 Recommendation Accepted in Part
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Pr…
Rates of persistent absence remain concerning, and the number of ‘ghost children’ who are experiencing...
Rates of persistent absence remain concerning, and the number of ‘ghost children’ who are experiencing severe levels of absence from school remains far too high. The Government needs to do much more to get these children back in school, which … Read more
Government Response
The government committed to creating local authority registers for children not in school, a duty on local authorities to support home educators, and reviewing the school attendance system, but deferred legislation to a 'suitable opportunity'.
Department for Education
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8 Recommendation Accepted in Part
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Pr…
The Department must take steps to address the issue of persistent absence and ensure no...
The Department must take steps to address the issue of persistent absence and ensure no more children become ‘ghost children’. We welcome the Department’s formation of an ‘attendance alliance’ and its consultation on reducing avoidable absence in schools, however these … Read more
Government Response
The government committed to creating local authority registers for children not in school, a duty on local authorities to support home educators, and reviewing the school attendance system, but deferred legislation to a 'suitable opportunity'.
Department for Education
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9 Recommendation Accepted
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Pr…
It is not clear that the National Tutoring Programme will deliver for the pupils that...
It is not clear that the National Tutoring Programme will deliver for the pupils that need it most. We expect full transparency about the operation of the National Is the Catch-up Programme fit for purposee 31 Tutoring Programme, including information … Read more
Government Response
The Department began publishing half-termly data from March 2022, including data on participation by local authority, region and school, and will publish data on pupil characteristics such as disadvantage and SEN annually; they will reprocure for delivery partners as they will not be extending Randstad’s contract.
Department for Education
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10 Recommendation Accepted
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Pr…
The Department must commit to publishing statistics on a half-termly basis on the number of...
The Department must commit to publishing statistics on a half-termly basis on the number of starts under the National Tutoring Programme with a greater degree of granularity. This must include information on the proportion of children accessing the programme on … Read more
Government Response
The Department began publishing half-termly data from March 2022, including data on participation by local authority, region and school, and will publish data on pupil characteristics such as disadvantage and SEN annually; they will reprocure for delivery partners as they will not be extending Randstad’s contract.
Department for Education
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11 Recommendation Accepted
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Pr…
Currently it appears that the school-led tutoring pillar is more attractive than tuition partners or...
Currently it appears that the school-led tutoring pillar is more attractive than tuition partners or academic mentors (with 230,000 starts as of 1 December, compared to 52,000 and 20,000 respectively), although we have heard concerns about the quality assurance underpinning … Read more
Government Response
The government will allocate all tutoring funding directly to schools, ensure high standards of tutoring through training, procure delivery partners for quality assurance, and ensure school funding allocations for NTP take account of the numbers of disadvantaged pupils.
Department for Education
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12 Recommendation Accepted in Part
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Pr…
We heard that the Department’s plans to taper the subsidies for the National Tutoring Programme...
We heard that the Department’s plans to taper the subsidies for the National Tutoring Programme are a “real concern”, which may inhibit school take up in some of the most disadvantaged areas. Therefore, to ensure that it does not unfairly … Read more
Government Response
The government announced plans to align subsidies across all routes next year to cover 60% of the unit cost, with allocations based on the numbers of pupils in schools eligible for pupil premium and a subsidy rate of 25% in 2023/24.
Department for Education
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13 Recommendation Accepted
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Pr…
The Department should commit to undertaking a review of the impact that Covid-19 has had...
The Department should commit to undertaking a review of the impact that Covid-19 has had on children with special educational needs and disabilities. (Paragraph 60) Mental health resilience and an extended school day
Government Response
The government will continue to monitor the impact of Covid-19 on pupils with SEND through research into academic progress and gathering evidence from schools, and the SEND and AP Green Paper addresses many of the key themes raised.
Department for Education
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14 Conclusion Accepted
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Pr…
We are conscious that any extension to the school day would need to be carefully...
We are conscious that any extension to the school day would need to be carefully balanced so that staff workload and pupils’ energy are not negatively impacted. However, we are also persuaded that there is merit in extending opportunities for … Read more
Government Response
The government has committed to a minimum expectation of a 32.5 hour school week in state-funded mainstream schools by September 2023, alongside extra-curricular activities, sport, and the National Youth Guarantee.
Department for Education
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15 Recommendation Accepted
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Pr…
The Department must introduce a pilot of optional extra-curricular activities for children to help improve...
The Department must introduce a pilot of optional extra-curricular activities for children to help improve academic attainment and wellbeing. The pilot should be trialled in areas of disadvantage across the country. If this pilot proves effective, the Department should include … Read more
Government Response
The government highlights its existing commitments to extra-curricular activities, including introducing a minimum expectation of a 32.5 hour school week, working with DCMS and the Department of Health and Social Care on the cross-government School Sport and Activity Action Plan, and investing nearly £30m per year to open up state school sport facilities and improve PE teaching.
Department for Education
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16 Recommendation Accepted
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Pr…
There are some examples of positive collaboration between local private and state schools in terms...
There are some examples of positive collaboration between local private and state schools in terms of offering the use of sports centres or theatres to support enrichment activities which should be further encouraged. Primary and secondary state schools should also … Read more
Government Response
The government highlights its existing commitments to extra-curricular activities, including introducing a minimum expectation of a 32.5 hour school week, working with DCMS and the Department of Health and Social Care on the cross-government School Sport and Activity Action Plan, and investing nearly £30m per year to open up state school sport facilities and improve PE teaching.
Department for Education
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17 Conclusion Acknowledged
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Pr…
Before the pandemic there were serious concerns about the mental health of our children and...
Before the pandemic there were serious concerns about the mental health of our children and young people. The pandemic has exacerbated an existing crisis in mental health, with as many as 1 in 6 children aged 6–16 years old now … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges that mental health and wellbeing are a priority and highlights its commitment to promoting and supporting them in schools and colleges.
Department for Education
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18 Recommendation Acknowledged
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Pr…
The Department must fast-track its commitments to ensuring all schools have a designated mental health...
The Department must fast-track its commitments to ensuring all schools have a designated mental health lead. All catch-up plans, including enrichment activities and longer school days, must include a specific role for activities that focus on mental health and wellbeing. Read more
Government Response
The government highlights the opportunity for all schools to train a senior mental health lead by 2025, and says decisions about enrichment activities are made by schools.
Department for Education
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19 Recommendation Accepted in Part
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Pr…
Throughout our inquiry, we have heard that pupils’ wellbeing and mental health have been one...
Throughout our inquiry, we have heard that pupils’ wellbeing and mental health have been one of the greatest challenges as schools return. All pupils should undergo a mental health and wellbeing assessment to understand the scale of the problem and … Read more
Government Response
The government recognises the challenges schools face and states that training for school senior mental health leads covers the importance of measuring need; however, they do not believe that it is practical, nor necessary, for every child to undergo a clinical assessment of their mental health and wellbeing.
Department for Education
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20 Recommendation Rejected
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Pr…
The Government should introduce a levy on the profits of social media companies, and use...
The Government should introduce a levy on the profits of social media companies, and use the revenue derived from this to fund online harms and resilience training for pupils which could be distributed through schools. (Paragraph 78) Is the Catch-up … Read more
Government Response
The government rejects introducing a levy on social media companies, but highlights existing RSHE curriculum, online safety guidance and online media literacy strategy.
Department for Education
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Government Response AI assessment · 20 of 14 classified
Accepted 8
Accepted in Part 4
Acknowledged 7
Rejected 1
Total 14 recs + 6 conclusions