The educational gap between disadvantaged pupils and others could take a decade to return to pre-pandemic levels, MPs warn.
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) say that progress since 2012 to narrow the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and others had been reversed by 2022.
The Government expects it may take a decade to return this gap to the level at which it was before the pandemic.
The PAC also found that 13% of schools in England had not taken up the National Tutoring Programme, which is a key part of the Government’s education recovery programme.
It warned that schools may not be able to afford to provide tutoring once the Department for Education (DfE) reduces its subsidy rates.
Government support for tutoring is set to be reduced in 2023/24 and withdrawn completely in 2024/25.
Meg Hillier MP, chair of the committee, said: ‘The DfE does not seem to appreciate the pressures schools are under as they seek to help pupils catch up amid funding constraints, challenges in recruitment and retention for staff and growing mental health needs for pupils.
‘It is therefore essential that Government reckons with the reality of the situation and publishes focused plans on reducing the disadvantage gap and absence rates. It must also bolster uptake of tuition, an essential programme at risk of withering on the vine as subsidies are sharply reduced.’
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