Two years after the first lockdown in the UK, schools are still trying to help pupils who have fallen behind during periods of study at home. Some schools find that access to ‘catch-up’ funding is a problem.
Cori Bateman is Chief Executive Officer of the Pioneer Learning Trust, which manages three elementary schools in Luton.
“There’s a lot of catching up to do,” says Ms. Bateman, who says her children are “really falling behind” in math and writing.
“We have reading-based curricula, so reading is encouraged quite well in the students,” says Ms. Bateman.
The effects of lockdown learning have been found to be worse among disadvantaged children across the country.
Ms Bateman says: “Access to online learning was difficult and they did not have access to the support they received [previously] in schools.
“Our disadvantaged children… have fallen further behind.”
The Trust says it has been given access to government funds, including money from the National Tutoring Program, to help students catch up on their learning.
But she says the bureaucracy involved is “difficult… tedious and slow.”
“We accessed an academic mentor but were only able to find one for three schools.
“The school-based tutoring system is so bureaucratic and quite difficult to navigate.
“I don’t think there are many schools that access everything [they are entitled to]”.
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Ms. Bateman says they also deal with children with speech and language difficulties at an early age.
She says these children can have trouble articulating their needs, and many have separation issues or anxiety.
She says that in one class, 30% of children have been identified as having difficulties at an early age, and “that’s something we don’t have extra money for.”
Before the pandemic, around 10% of the Trust’s children were struggling with speech and language problems.
She says the lockdowns have meant many services aimed at younger children have been shut down, such as B. Toddler and baby massage groups, some of which have only recently reopened.
According to Ms Bateman, all current funding is aimed at catch-up programs for older children to prepare them for exams and statutory tests.
Sarah Baldwin is Headmistress of Southfield Primary, one of the Luton Trust schools.
She says the catch-up challenge goes beyond helping students do well in school.
“It’s not just their math and English skills that are really important, but also that they get back into class and be aware of what those class rules are and how they treat their friends,” says Ms. Baldwin.
“All of that has to happen before you can even engage with their math and English skills.”
She adds that the prevalence of Covid among staff and a shortage of teachers have been “difficult and definitely still a challenge”.
Claire Coates, principal at Cambourne Village College in Cambridgeshire, says because pupils had tablets during the lockdown they were ‘perhaps less affected overall’ than pupils at other schools.
She says “what could be taught online was very different than what could be taught in the classroom.”
“A lot of practical learning has been lost,” says Ms Coates.
“Now that we’re back in school, the focus is on practical work in science, design and technology, music, art and theater.”
She says there was also an emphasis on “read recovery lost during lockdown”.
Ms Coates says: “We’re starting to regain all the enjoyable parts – the extracurricular activities, the sports, the outings.
“We have our first school production in three years in June and we are really looking forward to it.
“But we are still affected by very significant staff shortages. We are seeing a resurgence of disease – Covid and other seasonal diseases.”
Cambridgeshire saw a spike in Covid cases last week.
The school says it had to send seven classes home last week as 10 staff were free due to Covid.
“So yes, it’s become a real challenge again,” says Ms Coates.
A spokesman for the education ministry said it was investing $5 billion.
“We support the most disadvantaged, vulnerable or those who have the least time for education – wherever they live – to make up for the learning lost during the pandemic.”
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