The House of Commons’ education select committee continued its inquiry into the impact of covid-19 on education on Tuesday, taking evidence from the recently appointed Education Recovery Commissioner, Sir Kevan Collins. Also answering questions were Professor Becky Francis, Chief Executive of the EEF, and Geoff Barton, General Secretary of ASCL.
Robert Halfon MP, chair of the committee, began by asking Sir Kevan about his new role and how comprehensive the catch-up programme will be. Encouragingly, Sir Kevan said that recovery needs to be ‘long-term, sustained and far reaching’. Indeed, he said he wanted to avoid the language of ‘catch-up’, as this was only part of recovery over time. He continued to say that any recovery needed to be mindful of the pre-existing disadvantage gap, and the disproportionate effect that school closures have had on students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
In addition to a recovery plan being long-term and targeted, Sir Kevan outlined the need for it to be broad. He emphasised that focusing on the non-academic as well as the academic is simply about doing what the evidence says has to be done, saying that ‘children need to be ready to learn’. This includes ensuring children are able to socialise, especially at early years, and encouraging competitive sports and engaging in group activities. He concluded by saying that ‘the recovery programme or approach is a long-term, sustained piece of work. It certainly won’t be over quickly.
The committee then went on to ask about measures such as extending the school day or summer schools. Becky Francis said that there can be marginal gains from these approaches, especially for wellbeing as a result of summer activities. However, for academic progress these approaches need to be targeted and led by well-qualified teachers, making it costly. Additionally, there are issues of teacher-burnout, and it is particularly difficult to encourage disadvantaged young people to attend those summer activities.
Geoff Barton reiterated much of what Sir Kevan and Becky Francis had said, similarly rejecting the language of ‘catch-up’ and ‘recovery’. He said that the curriculum must be broad and balanced, expressing scepticism on whether extended school days and summer school would address that, especially considering the difficulties in ensuring engagement from students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Any approach to ‘recovery’ need to be focused on re-engagement with learning, adding that ‘it is not rejecting the summer schools idea, but it is just saying that if we want to make the most important bit of impact, I think we start with what happens in the school, during and after the school day’.
Finally questions were raised about early years. Sir Kevan said that a focus on early years has to be central to any recovery plan, pointing towards the issues early years already face due to current under-investment. Geoff Barton agreed, saying that these pupils need to get into the habits of learning, reading comprehension, and feedback from teachers.
The issues raised by those giving evidence have been consistently raised by North East schools during our roundtable events and surveys. As schools plan for opening up to all students next week, and towards ‘recovery’, it is crucial that schools are given the flexibility to identify the needs of their students, to allow for a broad and engaging curriculum that addresses physical and mental health and wellbeing, as well as academic ‘catch-up’. Additionally, schools also need long-term thinking and time to address these challenges, avoiding a focus on a quick fix. It is encouraging that these challenges are recognised by Sir Kevan, and Schools North East will continue to campaign to keep these issues at the forefront of policy thinking.
