DfE takes questions on the impact of the pandemic
Shortly following the announcement on Monday that GCSEs and A Levels would be delayed in 2021, education ministers took questions from the House of Commons for departmental questions. The recentness of the announcement meant that questions around these examinations were limited. Nick Gibb answered questions on exams, arguing that they are the fairest form of assessment, confirming what had recently been published and that the DfE was now working with Ofqual to engage the sector in planning for a range of scenarios of potential disruption.
Beyond exams, the Department for Education took a range of questions around the impact of Covid-19 on finances, educational progress, emotional wellbeing of pupils, and special schools. When asked about Covid-related expenditure, Nick Gibb pointed towards the £58 million already paid out for exceptional costs between March and July, as well as the £1 billion in catch-up funding. He went on to argue that further funding would be focussed on educational catch-up. However this fails to appreciate the variety of extra costs that have been incurred during the pandemic. Schools North East recently conducted a survey of Partner Schools on this issue, and it is clear many schools are having to use reserves without guarantees that the Government will reimburse them. This is a significant concern for many schools, and needs urgent action.
Several questions were asked around SEND and special schools. Vicky Ford, the minister for children and families, recognised the additional challenges that this group of pupils have faced during the lockdown, and welcomed the news that more than 80% of pupils with education, health and care plans are now back in school. Gavin Williamson reiterated recognition of the additional challenges, saying that the DfE was supporting special schools with a £650 million catch-up premium with additional weighting for specialist settings, while also increasing the high needs funding by an additional £1.5 billion over this year and next.
Concerns were raised by several MPs about the provision of remote learning and the decision to make it a statutory requirement. MPs pointed towards the different levels of access to laptops and devices to facilitate online learning, which could leave poorer pupils further disadvantaged. While Gavin Williamson argued that investment was being made to support remote learning and provide laptops and tablets, he was questioned whether this would be enough as Ofcom had estimated that up 1.78 million children have no access to a computer device. There were concerns that making remote learning a statutory requirement would fail these children.
One of the region’s MPs, Richard Holden (North West Durham), asked what steps the DfE was taking to ensure improvement in educational attainment in each region of the UK. Gavin Williamson argued that the DfE is committed to raising standards and opportunities across the country, mentioning the £1 billion recovery package again, as well as the £350 million national tutoring programme targeted at disadvantaged pupils.
While any extra funding is welcome, it is not yet clear how effective the tutoring programme will be in areas like the North East. Since the announcement of the National Tutoring Programme, Schools North East has questioned whether or not there is adequate capacity in the system which from surveys we have sent out to Partner Schools remains a significant concern. On top of this, this answer only addresses the impact of the coronavirus, and not the longer term issues that impact educational outcomes.
The answers given by the Department for Education show that while efforts are being made to address the impact of the coronavirus, there is not yet clear long term thinking on how to address inequalities in the education system. The pandemic has highlighted several perennial issues, and Schools North East is committed to lobbying policy makers to ensure they recognise the wider concerns of schools when we return to normal.