NEWS
COVID-19 absences wreaking havoc on schools’ plans for catch-up learning
In new findings released by The Key, school leaders have identified ‘insufficient staff - due to absences’ (chosen by 51%) and ‘pupil attendance’ (35%) as the biggest barriers to successful pupil catch-up learning this academic year. In fact, 96% of school
leaders report that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted their plans to address pupils' learning gaps this term. Worryingly, three-quarters (75%) of those surveyed believe the
majority of their pupils are ‘behind’ (62%) or ‘significantly behind’ (13%) academically, compared to previous cohorts. What’s more, the learning gap is also evident in other crucial areas
of pupils’ development. 73% of those surveyed say their pupils' social skills are 'behind' or 'significantly behind', 54% say this is true of their pupils' practical skills and 39% report the same of their pupils' sporting abilities. One respondent told The Key, “Staff absences are having a
massive impact. Children learn best with their own teacher, not supply teachers.” Another reported, “Absences for pupils and staff because of
COVID add yet more challenge to an exhausting and strained situation.” With little sign of the situation easing over winter, the vast
majority of leaders surveyed already believe it is 'very likely’ (54%) or ‘somewhat likely’ (36%) that they will need to run targeted catch-up interventions during the next academic year (which runs to July 2023). However, while the government has promised additional catch-up funding for next year* no detailed guidance has been made available yet. “School leaders are doing everything in their power to help their
pupils make progress, but the reality is that COVID-19 has continued to cause significant disruption in schools this term - even before the emergence of the new variant” said Nicola West Jones, Head of Market Research at The Key. "Many of the comments left in our survey point to reduced resilience, concentration and stamina among pupils in the classroom - all crucial prerequisites for learning. This, coupled with ongoing staff and pupil absences, explains why progress is going to take some time.” The survey findings also reveal that certain year groups are
struggling more than others. In primary schools, year 2 is the year group most widely considered to be in need of catch-up provision (chosen by 57% of respondents in primary schools). These children were in reception when the pandemic started and seem to be struggling from the disruption caused to a significant part of their early school life. In secondary schools, leaders most commonly cite year 11 as one
of the cohorts most in need of catch-up provision (chosen by 59%) - these pupils will be expected to take their GCSE exams this year. More positively, one area of pupils’ development that doesn’t
appear to have been negatively impacted by the pandemic is IT skills. Over a third of respondents (35%) said that the majority of their pupils are ‘ahead’ (33%) or ‘significantly ahead’ (2%) in this area - suggesting that there have been some beneficial outcomes of remote learning.
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https://www.gov.uk/government/news/all-schools-and-colleges- to-receive-extra-funding-for-catch-up
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www.education-today.co.uk
Enterprise and National Literacy Trust launch school road trip to encourage reading
Enterprise Rent-A-Car and the National Literacy Trust have teamed up to give away almost 23,000 copies of Serena Patel’s award-winning book, ‘Anisha, Accidental Detective’, to 240 primary schools in nine cities around the UK. A team from Enterprise will start a six-day tour of the UK to deliver the
books in a van specially decorated by the book’s illustrator Emma McCann, featuring characters from the book. Enterprise will also be visiting other primary schools in the area to deliver books as part of the road trip. The National Literacy Trust has worked with Enterprise to identify
communities across the UK that will benefit from an injection of books and the charity is confident that this donation will help to increase reading for pleasure among these children. The road trip will start in Belfast and then travel to schools in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Bradford, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Bristol and London. The aim of the initiative is to provide schools in very diverse inner-city communities with a stock of interesting books that they can gift children to take home and keep as this reinforces classroom learning. Enterprise employees have recorded a read-along version of the book
which children can access via an online link or QR code as an added aid to help them read. Research(ii) shows that reading for pleasure out of school is a major contributing factor to success at school and then in later life and is even linked to a higher lifetime earning potential. The initiative was made possible with a £128,000 donation from the Enterprise Holdings Foundation as part of the US$55 million global ROAD Forward initiative that promotes social and racial equity projects across the world. Darranda Rowswell, Director of Development at the National Literacy
Trust, said, “Around one in 11 children from lower income families don’t have a book of their own at home. Reading is not just great fun, but it’s a vital skill and we want all children to love reading. Children and young people who enjoy reading and who read frequently are better readers, helping them to realise their fullest potential at school and in life. “This book donation is one more important step in our literacy
recovery programme to address the educational issues caused by the pandemic and will help the children who need it most. We’re so happy that Enterprise was able to support us in this programme which will see thousands of children benefitting from this exciting book.” on ideas that will make a difference.
uwww.literacytrust.org.uk December 2021
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