Poverty had the greatest impact on students’ educational experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic

The report, led by Professors Jo Van Herwegen (UCL Institute of Education), Gillean McCluskey (University of Edinburgh) and Cathy Lewin (Manchester Metropolitan University), analysed the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on children and young people’s learning experiences and educational attainment.  

It found that in the UK, the effects of the pandemic on children and young people were not felt equally. Learners living in poverty, those from some minority backgrounds, and students with special needs were most impacted by the lockdown and subsequent school closures. 

Attendance and transitions 

Children starting school or learners at key points of transition between educational stages (i.e. between primary and secondary school) also saw negative effects. 

Poverty was the single most important determinant of learning outcomes; where it intersected with other factors, negative impacts were often exacerbated. 

In all four jurisdictions – England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland – the attainment gap between children experiencing poverty and their peers widened post-pandemic; the poverty-related attainment gap had been narrowing since 2010 but stalled at the onset of the pandemic. 

School attendance has not recovered since, especially for learners eligible for free school meals, those with special needs and some minority ethnic groups. 

Digital divide 

At the onset of the pandemic, not all schools had sufficient infrastructure in place to support remote, online learning. There was wide variation in the amount, types and quality of provision offered during the lockdown-mandated school closures.  

Educator professional development on digital use had been low in the UK pre-pandemic, meaning many teachers also felt unprepared and required further training. 

Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales were better placed than England to support schools and teachers during the pandemic because of the national provision of technology services in these jurisdictions. 

However, inequalities in young people's access to technology paired with other factors impacted their ability to engage with online teaching. In 2020, 9% of UK households with children lacked access to a tablet, desktop or laptop (an estimated 1,143,000–1,777,000 children), according to Ofcom data collected just before the pandemic. This lack of access disproportionately affected children from lower-earning households, of whom 21% had no home access to a tablet, desktop or laptop, highlighting the digital divide. 

When it comes to types of learning, live online lessons or discussions were initially uncommon: learners were typically provided with worksheets and educational videos, which relied on appropriate home access. However, private schools were generally more digitally mature and more resourced. In England, for example, 94% of private schools provided live online lessons, compared with 65% of state schools. 

Though the quality of digital provision improved later in the pandemic, teachers considered learner engagement lower than experienced when teaching in school. 

Home life 

Poor housing conditions hindered some children’s ability to learn at home. Some concerns include lack of space, overcrowding, or not having a quiet place to study. In the UK in 2020, around 1.6 million children lived in overcrowded homes. 

Without teachers physically present, parents had to take on teaching roles. In the UK, parents spent an average of 21 hours a week on childcare and schooling. Parents’ ability and confidence to support their children’s learning was associated with educational background and income levels, entrenching inequality. 

Special educational needs 

A lack of wider support for students with special educational needs and their parents impacted their learning experiences during lockdown. 

Learners lacked access to the tailored resources, differentiated materials, and specialist staff or equipment available at school, which meant they struggled to engage with remote learning. 

Eighty-nine percent of parents reported that their child did not receive special needs-specific technology like assistive software and screen readers. This meant that students with special educational needs were more likely to face digital exclusion. 

The lack of support during school closures also placed an additional strain on families. Parents of learners with special educational needs cited challenges supporting their child’s learning. Fifty-nine percent of parents of a student with special needs said that their child was disengaged with remote learning, compared to 39% of parents of children without additional needs. 

However, the report notes that some autistic learners had more positive experiences. Some benefitted from learning at home, citing flexibility and ability to focus on personal interests, though others felt overwhelmed by the workload and sensory aspects of online platforms. 

Communication, cooperation and social skills, and self-regulation were the most frequently impacted by the closure of schools, as well as learners’ social confidence. 

The lack of support during lockdown had a major impact on learners with special needs: not only on their attainment, but also on their social, emotional and physical wellbeing. 

Policy recommendations 

Moving forward, the report recommends the government develop a long-term strategy of direct investment in front-line provision, an evidence-based approach to decision-making consistent across the UK, and a comprehensive plan for schooling in the event of future pandemics. 

The researchers recommend engaging with children and their families to ensure planning can address and anticipate their needs. 

The report also recommends schools be given the appropriate resources to ensure learning recovery – both in terms of academic attainment and social, mental wellbeing, which underpin attendance, relationships and behaviour. The researchers emphasise that focus must be maintained on low-attaining learners, to close the UK’s widening disadvantage gap. 

They say schools must receive adequate funding and support for staff to ensure that children have the best possible support for the long-term. 

Links

• Read the report: Children and Young People, Lessons in learning: The Impact of Covid-19 on Educational Provision, Support and Progress
• Professor Jo Van Herwegen’s UCL profile
• Centre for Educational Neuroscience
• Department of Psychology and Human Development 

Image

EduLife via Adobe Stock.