'Widening education gap exposed by lockdown is a time bomb waiting to detonate'

07 June 2023 , 19:59

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Students are sinking further behind (Image: Getty Images)

Signs of a widening gap between disadvantaged children and the rest have been ­staring us in the face since the first Covid lockdown.

When schools across the country shut their doors, it quickly became clear that pupils in private schools seamlessly switched to online lessons, while students in state schools – despite the efforts of staff – went for weeks without face time with teachers.

Work and lessons were put onto online portals such as Google Classroom but nothing we ­recognise as teaching took place.

For children with limited access to computers and the internet this was an absolute disaster.

The disadvantage was even starker when the first post-lockdown GCSE and A-level results came out and it emerged private schools had doubled their top grades. Although there were accusations of the independent sector gaming the system, nothing was done about it and the unfair advantage went unchallenged.

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So it’s little wonder MPs warned yesterday that some pupils are facing a “lost decade” of progress if action isn’t taken.

Politicians on the Public Accounts Committee have called on the Government to take faster and more effective action, including getting a higher take-up of a tutoring scheme to help students catch up.

Schools are already under enormous pressure, constantly trying to ensure their budgets stretch to give their students the best they can.

Some heads have complained there is too much bureaucracy and that the scheme, which next year will only be subsidised up to 50%, costs them too much.

There is also a worrying rise in school absences. Something needs to be done.

When Boris Johnson was PM there was a lot of talk about levelling up, a project backed by £4.8bn to help give everyone the opportunity to thrive.

But we seem to be going backwards.

Everyone recognises the gap between the haves and have nots is too wide, especially among young people. This widening gap is like a ticking time bomb.

If it isn’t tackled, starting in schools, we will all pay the price in years to come.

Eva Simpson