Lancashire pupils fell further behind peers during pandemic

Department for Education figures show 24.4 per cent of disadvantaged children in Lancashire achieved grade five or above in GCSE English and Maths in 2021-22, compared to 55.1 per cent for all other children. Education charity SHINE said it is "saddened but not surprised" to see disadvantaged children fall behind. It meant the attainment gap was 30.7 percentage points last year – up from 27.5 in 2018-19, the last academic year uninterrupted by Covid. 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. It means the attainment gap rose from 25.2 percentage points in 2018-19 to 27.3 in 2021-22. Figures also show that across England, the disadvantage gap index – a broader measure of child performance at school – reached its largest point in 10 years in 2021-22 after widening throughout the pandemic.

Dr Helen Rafferty, senior programme manager at the charity warned that school leaders must make impossible decisions due to budget cuts just as disadvantaged children need increased support, and said that targeted support for specific children and schools in certain areas is required to close the gap.

She added: "Additional funding should be targeted at children and schools who experience persistent long-term disadvantage, whom we know are at the greatest risk of falling behind.”

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 Lancashire, non-disadvantaged children outperformed disadvantaged pupils by 16.7 points last year – up from 15.4 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. A spokesperson added that targeted investment for areas in need is also being provided to improve standards for pupils across the country.