DfE questions 06/09/21
Catch-up interventions having an impact, but still much more to do, Gavin Williamson tells MPs
As parliament returned from the summer recess this week, education ministers faced departmental questions in the House of Commons on Monday.
Following on from GCSE and A Level results over the summer, Shadow Secretary of State for Education Kate Green asked about the stalling of progress on closing the attainment gap. She asked what steps the Government is taking ‘to ensure that all children reach their full potential’, noting on the importance of literacy, numeracy, digital and life skills for young people to succeed at work.
Minister for Apprenticeships and skills, Gillian Keegan, responded. She said that up until the pandemic, the attainment gap had been closing, and that following the disruption of the pandemic it is essential to get children back into school. She said that the DfE has put forward a considerable long-term plan to help recovery for schools over the next few years, and that there will always be a focus on disadvantaged children.
It is encouraging that in Gillian Keegan’s responses, she emphasised that they are looking at longer-term, rather than short-term solutions, and that education recovery funding remains under review. However, as Kate Green noted, the Government’s recovery funding is just 10% of what the former recovery commissioner, Sir Kevan Collins, recommended. Additionally, current proposals, such as the National Tutoring Programme (NTP), are not always accessible to the least well off, in addition to problems of geographical variability in access, with the North East seeing a lack of available tutors to meet demand. While one-to-one tutoring is an effective way to address learning gaps, it can only be effective if it is properly resourced, and allow schools flexibility to meet the needs of their students.
Robert Halfon, Chair of the Education Select Committee, also asked about attainment gaps, but between boys and girls, with 62.3% of boys receiving A to C grades at GCSE, but 74% of girls receiving the same results. The Secretary of State, Gavin Williamson, responded, saying that all catch-up interventions, such as summer schools and tutoring, are aimed at driving up attainment and achievement. He argued that these interventions are beginning to have an impact on the different attainment gaps, but recognised there is much more to do.
Again, while it is important that the DfE is thinking of longer-term solutions, and recognising that despite current plans there is more to do, it is not clear if the Government is aware of the full impact of Covid-related disruption. While driving up attainment is important for improving the opportunities for children and young people from all backgrounds, it is equally important to recognise the impact of Covid on students’ mental health and wellbeing. As we begin the new academic year, Schools North East will continue to campaign for a recovery plan that is properly funded and resourced, that trusts the profession to identify what interventions work best, and that considers the impact of Covid on both academic progress and wellbeing.