This report by the National Audit Office shows that children are generally making progress to recover the learning they lost during the COVID-19 pandemic following action taken by the Department for Education, but disadvantaged pupils remain further behind the expected level of attainment than other pupils.
The report shows variation in how far and how quickly pupils have recovered learning. In summer 2021, pupils were on average 2.2, 0.9 and 1.2 months behind the expected level of attainment in primary maths, primary reading and secondary reading respectively. This compared with 3.6, 1.8 and 1.5 months in autumn 2020.
Learning loss for disadvantaged pupils has been consistently greater than for pupils overall and, as a result, the gap in attainment has grown since 2019.
The disadvantage gap index (a measure of the difference in attainment between disadvantaged and other pupils) at the end of primary school was 3.23 in 2022, compared with 2.91 in 2019. Left unaddressed, lost learning may lead to increased disadvantage and significant missing future earnings for those affected.
Disruption to schooling during the COVID-19 pandemic led to lost learning for many pupils, particularly disadvantaged children. DfE’s response was to implement a £3.5 billion package of measures, extending across four academic years (2020/21 to 2023/24), to support education recovery in schools.