This is worrying.
According to new UK-based research, primary school children have been affected by ‘significant’ learning loss as a result of lockdown.
The study – from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) and based on data collected by the National Foundation for Education Research (NFER) in the UK – looked at the impact of the first national lockdown on six and seven-year-old children, who would be in Year 2 of primary school.
It found that there was ‘significantly lower achievement’ for all pupils and a ‘large and concerning gap’ for disadvantaged kids.
The study looked at the performance of 5,900 children in reading and maths, and it was found to be significantly lower in autumn 2020 than in 2017, with pupils making, on average, two months less progress in both subjects.
It also found that ‘a very large number of pupils were unable to engage effectively with the tests’, which is very worrying.
In a statement to the House of Commons earlier this week, UK prime minister Boris Johnson admitted it could take kids a year to catch up on their education.
‘We recognise these extended school closures have had a huge impact on children’s learning, which will take more than a year to make up.
‘So we will work with parents, teachers and schools to develop a long-term plan to make sure pupils have the chance to make up their learning over the course of this parliament.’
There is no reason to believe the impact on learning was any less here in Ireland, making this worrying news for parents as we yet again struggle with remote learning and school closures.
Professor Becky Francis, CEO of the Education Endowment Foundation, had this to say about the study’s findings:
‘This new research offers compelling evidence of what we have feared since schools were closed to most pupils in the first national lockdown – that there will be a large negative impact on learning, with disadvantaged pupils suffering the most. Despite the inspiring and tireless work of schools across the country, this will only be compounded by the current partial school closures.
‘It is vital, therefore, that we draw on the best available evidence in responding to this national crisis, supporting teachers and school leaders to get the right support to the pupils who have missed out most.
‘But we should be under no illusions that there are quick fixes. Schools will need continued and significant support in the years ahead if we are to avoid a generation of pupils being left behind.”
