The social-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on school pupils

An Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) report last month shows that schools continue to face post-pandemic challenges supporting disadvantaged and low-attaining pupils.

The National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) study followed 6,000 pupils from March 2020 until spring 2022. It explored how disruptions to learning affect their attainment and social skills.

The research finds that: 

• Post-pandemic learning recovery is more difficult for some groups of students.
• There are more low-attaining pupils in the typical classroom.
• The socio-economic attainment gap has widened since the pandemic. It shows no signs of closing.
• For maths, the proportion of very low attainment in Year 2 more than doubled from 2.6 per cent before the pandemic to 5.5 per cent in spring 2022.
• Headteachers worry about their pupils’ wellbeing.  

The long-term impact of the pandemic on learning

The research examined the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on younger pupils’ reading and maths skills. Researchers report an increase in very low-attaining pupils, particularly in reading. While many children have caught up, younger students continue to struggle with reading.

Reading skills falling behind

Pupils who were in Year 2 (six- and seven-year-olds) have caught up in maths, but are still behind in their reading by about three months. For Year 2 pupils, the proportion of very low attainers in reading more than tripled from 2.6 per cent before the pandemic to 9.1 per cent in spring 2022. 

On average, pupils who were in Year 3 in spring 2022 (seven- and eight-year-olds) have caught up in both reading and maths. The proportion of very low achievers in reading more than doubled from 2.5 to 6.5 per cent. For Year 3 pupils, the attainment gap is even wider, at around nine months’ progress in reading.

Wellbeing concerns

The research also looks at the impact of the pandemic on younger pupils’ social skills and wellbeing. 

• Two-thirds (66 per cent) of schools surveyed said they were redeploying staff to support social skills and wellbeing
• 63 per cent said they were running small-group wellbeing sessions.

Socio-economic attainment gap

A significant challenge identified by the report is that the attainment gap between socio-economically disadvantaged pupils and their peers has widened. 

Ongoing support vital

The research provides clear evidence that the efforts of schools and teachers to support learning are paying off. Yet, the disadvantaged attainment gap remains a real concern. The National Tutoring Programme funds need to be distributed in a way that supports disadvantaged pupils

The National Tutoring Programme ( NTP )

The School-Led Tutoring Grant gives schools the resources they need to start closing the education gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers. TP Tutors is helping schools make the most of this funding. We have locally-based tutors, teachers, and learning support assistants available to deliver tuition. 

Click here to ensure your pupils get the targeted help they need today.