Stephen Morgan MP said in a House of Commons debate today that government ‘must confront’ the impact of lost learning pupils have suffered due to Covid.
Children in England missed over ten million school days for Covid-related reasons in the last term alone. Meanwhile, pupil absences are also up 35 per cent since the start of January and a quarter of schools have 15 per cent of their teachers and leaders off work.
As a result, the Portsmouth MP warned of the ‘stark scale of the generational challenge we now face.’
According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, an average loss of six months of schooling for students could see a reduction in their lifetime income of 4%. This equates to a total of £350 billion in lost earnings for the 8.7 million school-aged children in the UK.
Mr Morgan criticised the level of funding for the government’s catch-up plan, which equates to just £300 per pupil, or just £1 per day for children that have been out of school. The government’s Education Recovery Commissioner, Sir Kevan Collins, resigned in protest following the government’s rejection of his own recommendation of £1,685 per pupil.
Mr Morgan also blasted the government’s National Tutoring Programme. Designed as the centrepiece of the government’s education catch-up plans, recent data revealed it was reaching less than 10% its pupil target this year, with no data on engagement with those most in need.
Labour has said its £15 billion Education Recovery Plan would deliver:
- School activities and breakfast clubs
- Quality mental health support in every school
- Small group tutoring for all who need it;
- And make real investment in our teachers
The Member of Parliament for Portsmouth South and Shadow Schools Minister, Stephen Morgan, commented:
“While government is paralysed by the Prime Minister’s repeated scandals, the consequences of learning loss loom larger with every passing day.
“Without further intervention, the pandemic’s damage will become irreversible. The impact will plague children, the education system and the wider economy for decades to come.
“Ministers must confront the backlog of lost learning with the ambition and clear vision that is needed for Portsmouth and the country. If Ministers won’t step up for our nation’s children, the next Labour government will.”
