Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said:

“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. This report shows the scale of the challenge in some areas.

“The Coronavirus pandemic has impacted pupils in very different ways, with some much more able to continue their learning than others. It is, of course, the pupils who we were most concerned about before the pandemic who have faced the greatest challenges during lockdown, and we have seen a widening disadvantage gap as a result.

“The government could have ameliorated some of this by acting faster to ensure all children have equal access to technology and connectivity in order to continue learning remotely.

“However, we should remember that the ‘disadvantage gap’ existed long before the pandemic. The fundamental issues creating disadvantage must be addressed by government if we are to make a real difference in the future.

“Sadly, the investment from the government announced this week falls far short of what is needed. The increase in per pupil spending announced takes us back to 2010 levels, representing a failure to invest in children’s futures for over a decade.

“Schools will do their best with what they are given, as they always do. This report shows some progress made by educators once children returned to schools in the 2021 summer term. It is important that schools are able to spend the recovery money they are given flexibly on the programmes they know work best for the children in most need in their schools.

“But if schools are to fully play their part in healing the scars left by covid-19, be that educational, developmental or emotional, they and other key support services must be given the additional support, funding and resources they need to do so.”