A major new report from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) and The Difference has set out a plan to end the rapid rise in absence, exclusions and the special educational needs crisis that all drive lost learning.
Five years on from schools going into lockdown, the report brings together more than 100 teachers, leaders, students, parent groups and charities to pinpoint the root causes of lost learning, and to find solutions.
New analysis for the report finds that children lost 6.8 million days of learning in the autumn term before the Covid pandemic (2019/20) due to suspensions and absences, but this rose sharply to 11.5 million days in the same period in 2023/24 - an increase of 67 per cent. Each year, more children lose out on more days of school: there was a rise of 10 per cent between the autumn terms of 2022/23 and 2023/24 alone. The most vulnerable and disadvantaged children are impacted the most.
For every child that is permanently excluded, 10 other children experience an “invisible” move that isn’t recorded in national data, or overseen by local authorities or trusts. This includes “managed moves” - which are informal agreements between schools - as well as the illegal practice of off-rolling. One third of children who experience one of these hidden moves goes to an “unknown destination” - meaning the Department for Education has no idea where or whether they are still being schooled.
The report finds that the challenges of attendance, exclusion and the current special educational needs crisis are deeply related – and are all increasing. Exclusions are up by over a third in a single year, home education has increased by over 20 per cent between 2022/23 and 2023/24, and there has been a 140 percent increase in the highest level of special educational needs support plans since 2015.
The plan to address this crisis is backed by education leaders and the charities Impetus and Mission 44, who have helped develop the recommendations in consultation with the 'Who is Losing Learning Council'. The Council included experts such as general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders Pepe Di’Iasio, Bishop Rose Hudson-Wilkin, former education minister Edward Timpson, and children's commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza.
The 10-point plan to end the crisis of lost learning includes:
- Investing £850 million for inclusion over five years, which the report says would support half a million children, reduce their lost learning and improve outcomes – saving as much as it costs
- Introducing legislation to monitor whenever a child is moved out of their school, to make sure we know where – and whether - our most vulnerable children are being educated
- Changing schools' admission policies so that school intakes better reflects their local community to offer children from disadvantaged backgrounds the best chance of success in education
Exclusive new modelling for the report reveals that £850 million of funding for mainstream school inclusion would provide half a million children with quicker support - and pay for itself by 2030 by reducing the need for 35,000 costly Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP).
The report also sets out a definition of inclusion – which the Public Accounts Committee called for back in January – that, accompanied by funding and accountability changes, could transform outcomes for a generation of children.
Efua Poku-Amanfo, research fellow at IPPR, said:
“Children can’t learn if they are not in school or are in some other way lost from the classroom or unaccounted for. Since the pandemic, huge swathes of children have never returned, are being excluded or are mysteriously absent. Without urgent action to tackle lost learning, we risk failing the most disadvantaged children - those who could gain the most from an inclusive education system.”
Kiran Gill, Associate Felow at IPPR and Founder and CEO at The Difference, said:
“Our education system is failing the children who need it most.”
“Despite school leaders’ efforts, the system works against them. The consequences — rising mental health issues, youth violence, and risks to national growth — should concern us all.
“The Who is Losing Learning? Coalition is determined change this. This report sets out a sector-backed definition of inclusion and a set of bold new reforms to end the crisis of lost learning and get children back into classrooms where they can learn and thrive.
“This is the new frontier in education. Without more children in front of their teachers, we cannot raise attainment, improve employment, or give more children the safe, healthy childhood they deserve. It is in everyone’s interest to find solutions to the crisis of lost learning.”
Cllr Arooj Shah, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Children and Young People Board, said:
“Good attendance is crucial for children’s development, but councils have lacked powers to ensure children who miss school are supported.
“The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will give councils the ability to maintain Children Not in School registers, but additional funding is needed for this responsibility.
“Registers should also be accompanied with powers for councils to meet face-to-face with children to verify they are receiving a suitable education in a safe environment.
“We also fully support calls for greater mainstream inclusion of children with SEND. It is vital the Government pushes forward with this as part of wider reform of the SEND system in the Spending Review.”
Image credit: iStock
