Preventing The Disadvantage Gap From Increasing During And After The Covid-19 Pandemic

This report from the Education Policy Institute provides a series of policy recommendations to government to prevent a widening of the disadvantage gap following the pandemic.

Prior to the outbreak of Covid-19, EPI research found that disadvantaged children are already on average one and a half years of learning behind other pupils by the time they take their GCSEs.

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      string(324) "... 0.5 grades ahead).Of the 20 local authorities in the country with the smallest 16-19 disadvantage gaps, almost all of them are situated in or around the London area, with the exception of Redcar and Cleveland (20th smallest gap).Link: Measuring the Disadvantage Gap in 16-19 Education"
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      string(5127) "This Education Policy Institute report, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, finds that poorer students in sixth forms and colleges trail their more affluent peers by as many as three A level grades when taking qualifications at this level.The new exploratory research finds that the disadvantage gap – the gap in educational attainment between poorer students and their peers – is substantial during the 16-19 education phase, with poorer students continuing to see far worse educational outcomes than their better off peers.Most existing research on the disadvantage gap in education has focused almost entirely on the outcomes of pupils at secondary school level and below. There has been very little understanding of what the gap is after this age, for those older students enrolling in sixth form or college. The EPI research brings into sharp focus the extent of educational inequality among older students at this critical period in their lives, just as they enter adulthood.The disadvantage gap at this education phase is found to vary considerably across the country: poorer students are the equivalent of five whole A level grades behind their more affluent peers in some areas of England. In other areas, poorer students are level with, or even ahead of, their more affluent peers.The 16-19 education phase includes students in sixth forms and colleges covering those taking qualifications including A levels, and vocational, technical and lower-level qualifications.With disadvantaged students shown to face further attainment losses at this phase, on top of those previously experienced in school, the new findings also provide evidence for the need for new interventions aimed at reducing the gap in 16-19 education.To prevent disadvantaged sixth form and college students from falling further behind, the report concludes that there is a strong case for additional government funding for 16-19 education. Targeted funding is needed to address learning losses caused by the pandemic, which are likely to disproportionately impact the poorest, and will have likely exacerbated the already large disadvantage gap among students at this stage of education.Key Findings:There is a large gap in attainment, equivalent to almost three A level grades, when comparing (on average) the best three qualifications of disadvantaged students (those who had claimed free school meals in secondary school) and the best three qualifications of their non-disadvantaged peers.For the very poorest sixth form and college students – those classed as “persistently disadvantaged” – who were on free school meals for over 80% of their time at school – the gap is even wider, equivalent to four A level grades.There was no progress in closing the 16-19 gap between 2017 to 2019 and this is likely to now be worsened by the unequal impact of the pandemic on learning loss, along with the very different approaches to assessments seen in academic and vocational qualifications during 2020.A large proportion of the gap (39%) at the 16-19 education phase can be explained by students’ prior attainment at school (GCSE). Poorer students enter sixth form and college at a significant disadvantage compared to their more affluent peers, having on average, achieved far lower grades previously at school.The type of qualifications taken by poorer students also explains a large part of the gap in 16-19 education (33% of the gap): disadvantaged students are more likely to enter fewer, and lower-level qualifications.However, while poorer students’ previous level of academic achievement and type of qualification play a strong role in the gap at 16-19, socio-economic disadvantage may be contributing to these students falling even further behind during this phase.When controlling for student’s prior attainment and qualification type, poorer students are still shown to achieve poorer grades compared to their more affluent peers – around the equivalent of half an A level grade. This is significant, as it shows poorer students face an extra attainment penalty during the 16-19 education phase.Poorer students are the equivalent of five whole A level grades behind their more affluent students nationally in Knowsley (5.4 A level grades behind) North Somerset (4.8 grades behind) and Stockton-on-Tees (4.7 grades behind).In sharp contrast, in many London areas, poorer students are level with or even ahead of their more affluent peers nationally. The areas with the lowest disadvantage gaps in the country are Southwark (poorer students are 1.2 A level grades ahead), Redbridge (0.5 grades ahead) and Ealing (0.5 grades ahead).Of the 20 local authorities in the country with the smallest 16-19 disadvantage gaps, almost all of them are situated in or around the London area, with the exception of Redcar and Cleveland (20th smallest gap).Link: Measuring the Disadvantage Gap in 16-19 Education"
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Leadership

Measuring the Disadvantage Gap in 16-19 Education

3 Mar 2021

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      string(4207) "This interim report by the NFER, funded by the Education Endowment Foundation, looks at the impact of Covid-19 related disruption on KS1 pupils’ attainment. It shows that there is a substantial attainment gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils.The project aims to assess the extent to which pupils’ attainment and socioemotional development in Year 1 and Year 2 has been impacted by school closures, and particularly the effect on disadvantaged pupils. Children of this age are relatively less able to learn independently and therefore could be disproportionately affected by closures. In particular, Year 1 pupils will have had very little reception year schooling, thus, missing out on crucial opportunities to develop socially and emotionally and to prepare for the transition from reception to KS1.This is the second round of interim findings of a study estimating the impact of Covid-19 related disruption on KS1 pupils’ attainment. Schools in England were closed to all pupils apart from vulnerable pupils and children of keyworkers in spring and part of the summer terms of 2020, and again in the spring term of 2021.The results focus on reading and maths assessments taken by over 5,000 Year 1 pupils and over 5,000 Year 2 pupils from 156 schools in the spring term of 2021. Their attainment was compared with that of representative samples of Year 1 and Year 2 children in spring 2019.The report shows that in Year 1, there is gap of around seven months for both reading and mathematics. In Year 2, the findings indicate that the disadvantage gap is around seven months for reading and eight months for mathematics.As well as looking in more detail at curriculum areas of strength, the report highlights common errors and misconceptions that has been used to identify where children may need more support.The research also considers the potential implications for practice and offers ideas for learning designed to complement teachers’ efforts to support children’s academic progress.The study confirms that Year 1 children have fallen behind and there is a large disadvantage gap. It also confirms that Year 2 children have fallen behind and that disadvantage gaps have widened since 2019.The 2019 Key Stage 1 disadvantage gap for reading and mathematics, was measured by test-guided teacher assessments regarding children working at the expected standard. By assuming a normal distribution of test scores, and calculating an effect size using the performance of disadvantaged/non-disadvantaged pupils, the gap in 2019 was estimated to be six months’ progress.Key Findings:Key findings for Year 1 pupils: spring term 2021:Year 1pupils’ attainment in reading wassignificantly3lower in spring 2021compared to a standardised sample from spring 2019; representing a Covid-19 gap of around three months’ progress.Year 1pupils’ attainment in mathematics was significantly lower in spring2021compared to a standardised sample from spring 2019; representing a Covid-19 gap of around three months’ progress.The disadvantage gap in reading in Year 1 is around seven months’ progress.The disadvantage gap in mathematics in Year 1 is around seven months’ progress.Key findings for Year 2 pupils:Year 2 pupils’ attainment in reading was significantly5lower in spring2021compared to a standardised sample from spring2019; representing a Covid-19 gap of around three months’ progress.Year 2 pupils’ attainment in mathematics was significantly lower in spring 2021compared to a standardised sample from spring 2019; representing a Covid-19 gap of around two months’ progress.The disadvantage gap in reading in Year 2 is around seven months’ progress, which represents a widening as compared to Key Stage 1 in 2019.The disadvantage gap in mathematics in Year 2 is around eight months’ progress, which represents a widening as compared to Key Stage 1 in 2019.Link: Impact of School Closures and Subsequent Support Strategies on Attainment at KS1: Interim Findings 2"
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Leadership

Impact of School Closures and Subsequent Support Strategies on Attainment at KS1

7 Jul 2021

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      string(3751) "This NFER interim report funded by the Education Endowment Foundation assesses the extent to which Year 2 pupils’ attainment in reading and maths were impacted by partial school closures during the first national Covid-19 lockdown, to identify common patterns, misconceptions and errors.The research finds that whilst on average all children achieved less well than the 2017 cohort, disadvantaged children performed worse on all questions across both subjects, and were less likely to attempt those towards the end of the assessments than their classmates.The analysis of reading assessment data indicates that disruption to schooling appears to have had the greatest effect on pupils still in the early stages of learning to read, with children across the cohort misinterpreting question words, struggling to make specific inferences, and failing to understand sequences of events in stories.The pupil performance in maths suggests that, in general, curriculum areas that children found challenging in 2020, such as money and fractions, were the same as those that pupils struggled with in 2017. The 2020 cohort also found multiplication and division calculations more difficult, especially when they were required to recall facts from multiplication tables. However, pupils mostly performed well on questions derived from the prior Year 1 curriculum material, such as number, addition, and subtraction— average performance in these topic areas was often at least as good as in 2017. This may be a result of consolidation in the autumn term of 2020 rather than the introduction of new material.As well as providing a detailed commentary of Key Stage 1 assessment data, this publication also considers potential implications for teacher practice, intended to complement and work in partnership with broader school efforts to support pupil wellbeing and ensure positive outcomes for children.The study confirms that children in this age group have fallen behind and that disadvantage gaps have widened and it quantifies the scale of this learning loss. It reinforces the importance of continuing to invest in catch-up activities to enable children to recover the learning they have lost.Key Findings:Year 2 pupils’ attainment in reading was significantly lower in autumn 2020 compared to a standardised sample from 2017; representing a Covid-19 gap of around two months’ progress.Year 2 pupils’ attainment in mathematics was significantly lower in autumn 2020 compared to a standardised sample from 2017; representing a Covid-19 gap of around two months’ progress.The disadvantage gap in reading is around seven months’ progress, which represents a widening as compared to Key Stage 1 in 2019.The disadvantage gap in mathematics is around seven months’ progress, which represents a widening as compared to Key Stage 1 in 2019.ConclusionThis study confirms that, following the disruption to schooling in the 2020 spring and summer terms, Year 2 pupils had significantly lower achievement in both reading and maths in autumn 2020 when compared to performance seen in Year 2 in the autumn term of 2017. This represents a Covid-19 gap of around two months ’progress for both reading and maths. It also shows that there is a large and concerning attainment gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils: seven months for both reading and maths amongst Year 2 pupils. It seems that the disadvantage gap is wider than earlier estimates, and will likely be further exacerbated by school closures in early 2021.Link: Impact of School Closures and Subsequent Support Strategies on Attainment and Socio-Emotional Wellbeing in Key Stage 1"
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Leadership

Impact of School Closures and Subsequent Support Strategies on Attainment and Socio-Emotional Wellbeing in Key Stage 1

30 Mar 2021

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      string(3895) "This NFER study estimates the impact on attainment of pupils in Key Stage 1 in England following disruption to schooling during the spring and summer terms of 2020. It also aims to determine the parts of the curriculum that children are struggling with.It concludes that Primary school pupils in England have suffered “significant” learning loss during lockdown and school closures.The interim report assesses the extent to which Key Stage 1 pupils’ attainment in reading and maths were impacted by partial school closures during the first national Covid-19 lockdown, and particularly the effect on disadvantaged pupils.The paper focuses on the gap in attainment likely caused by March 2020 school closures (commonly called ‘learning loss’), and the disadvantage gap for Year 2 children as measured in autumn 2020. The results focus on assessments taken by Year 2 pupils (aged 6-7 and in their final year of Key Stage 1) in autumn term 2020 sat by nearly 6000 pupils in 168 schools.The findings suggest that primary-age pupils have significantly lower achievement in both reading and maths as a likely result of missed learning. In addition, there is a large and concerning attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and non-disadvantaged pupils.The NFER said its study confirmed that this represents a Covid-19 gap of around two months’ progress for both reading and maths. It also shows that there is a large and concerning attainment gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils: seven months for both reading and maths amongst year 2 pupils. It seems that the disadvantage gap is wider than earlier estimates, and will likely be further exacerbated by school closures in early 2021.The NFER study involved nearly 6,000 year 2 pupils at 168 primary schools in England taking standardised tests in reading and maths, and comparing the results with those from tests taken by a sample of pupils in similar schools.Overall the interim results found that pupils were, on average, making two months’ slower progress in both subjects compared with the earlier sample. Worryingly, the study also found that “a very large number of pupils were unable to engage effectively with the tests”, suggesting that lockdown had created further difficulties for teachers.Key Findings:Year 2 pupils’ attainment in reading was significantly[1] lower in autumn 2020 compared to a standardised sample from 2017; representing a Covid-19 gap of around two months’ progress.Year 2 pupils’ attainment in mathematics was significantly lower in autumn 2020 compared to a standardised sample from 2017; representing a Covid-19 gap of around two months’ progress.The disadvantage gap in reading is around seven months’ progress, which represents a widening as compared to Key Stage 1 in 2019.The disadvantage gap in mathematics is around seven months’ progress, which represents a widening as compared to Key Stage 1 in 2019Conclusion:This study confirms that, following the disruption to schooling in the 2020 spring and summer terms, Year 2 pupils had significantly lower achievement in both reading and maths in autumn 2020 when compared to performance seen in Year 2 in the autumn term of 2017. This represents a Covid-19 gap of around two months’ progress for both reading and maths. It also shows that there is a large and concerning attainment gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils: seven months for both reading and maths amongst Year 2 pupils. It seems that the disadvantage gap is wider than earlier estimates, and will likely be further exacerbated by school closures in early 2021Link: Impact of School Closures and Subsequent Support Strategies on Attainment and Socio-Emotional Wellbeing"
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Leadership

Impact of School Closures and Subsequent Support Strategies on Attainment and Socio-Emotional Wellbeing

3 Feb 2021

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