Disadvantaged pupils in Nottinghamshire fall further behind peers during pandemic

Disadvantaged secondary school pupils in Nottinghamshire fell further behind their classmates during the coronavirus pandemic, new figures show.

​It follows the trend seen across England, and​ education charity SHINE said it is “saddened but not surprised” to see disadvantaged children fall behind.

Department for Education figures show 25.1 per cent of disadvantaged children in Nottinghamshire achieved grade five or above in GCSE English and maths in 2021-22, compared with 58.2 per cent for all other children.

It meant the attainment gap was 33.1 percentage points last year, up from 27.1 in 2018-19, the last academic year uninterrupted by Covid-19.

Nationally, 29.5 per cent of disadvantaged children reached grade five or above in English and maths, whereas 56.8 per cent of all other children achieved the grades, meaning the attainment gap rose from 25.2 percentage points in 2018-19 to 27.3 in 2021-22.

SHINE said the link between deprivation and children’s school performance existed long before Covid-19, but the pandemic “amplified existing inequities”.

Dr Helen Rafferty, senior programme manager at the charity, said: “We know children from poorer backgrounds lost out on more learning than their wealthier peers, are more likely to experience challenges with attendance and are most in need of stability and support from schools and teachers.

“Now, without intervention, the cost-of-living crisis and mooted cuts to already-stretched school budgets risk widening the gap further.”

She warned school leaders must make impossible decisions due to budget cuts just as disadvantaged children need increased support and said targeted support for specific children and schools in certain areas is required to close the gap.

Different figures detailing attainment across eight GCSE subjects show the gap between the average cumulative grade of disadvantaged children compared to their peers has also widened across England, from 13.6 in 2018-19 to 15.1 in 2021-22.

In Nottinghamshire, non-disadvantaged children outperformed disadvantaged pupils by 17.3 points last year, up from 14.4 before the pandemic.

Dr Rafferty added: “Educational equity should be a top priority for any government.”

The Department for Education said it is rolling out a £5 billion education recovery programme following the pandemic, including targeted investment for areas in need.