Responding to a new report by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) today (Thurs 21st Oct), which looks at learning loss resulting from the pandemic and calls for a ‘significant additional investment’ in next week’s Spending Review to help children recover, Nick Brook, deputy general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said:

“The Spending Review will be a moment of truth to show once and for all whether ‘levelling up’ in education is more than just hollow words and empty promises. Over recent months, virtually every education expert worthy of the name has called on government to take seriously the deep social, economic and educational impact of the pandemic on our nation’s children.

“Today’s report helps quantify the scale of the challenge and the size of the solution required. In determining how much is needed to make good this deficit, the government must see education as an investment in this country's future, not simply a drain on the nation’s finances.”

EPI’s report also considers the future of the National Tutoring Programme (NTP), identifying a number of risks that could impede its success.  On this, Mr Brook said:

“A ‘tutoring revolution’ in schools has the potential to help level the playing field between children from poorer families and their more affluent peers, but unless government shift up a gear, this revolution is set to stall.

“At present, too much emphasis appears to be focused on a quick-fix solution of redeploying teaching assistants to deliver tutoring. Substituting one meaningful activity for another is unlikely to shift the dial far. Instead, government should focus their efforts on mobilising and re-engaging former teachers to join a new tutoring profession, and support them to provide world-class tutoring support to any pupil that is falling behind.

“Building a new tutoring profession will take effort. It requires a plan and sustained funding. Without it, the tutoring revolution risks coming to a screeching halt.”