We must ensure Welsh pupils aren’t left behind

AFTER three months when most pupils have not been going to school, the school gates opened again this week. But this is just the beginning of the struggle against the negative effects months of lock-down has had on our children’s education.

Three months without school attendance will already have had significant effects on the skills, confidence levels, and well-being of children in Wales and will have seen the attainment gap grow wider.

Understandably, motivation from children is dwindling, as I have learnt from the many worried parents who have contacted me lately.

The lack of interaction with teachers, minimal feedback and not feeling part of a class working towards the same ends makes it very hard for even a keen student to stay motivated.

It is widely accepted that children from different households, different schools, and different areas will have had vastly different experiences of home learning and levels of contact with their teachers during the lockdown.

Online provision from schools plays a massive role in how successful digital learning will be for pupils and their attainment levels, and interventions which ensure that all pupils have the tools and capability to engage to a high level are crucial.

Differences in circumstances and learning environments amongst pupils, such as whether they have sufficient electronic equipment to engage in digital learning, sufficient connectivity, parental confidence and capabilities in facilitating remote learning, and the availability of appropriate space for learning all need to be taken into account.

The Scottish Government recently committed to a £30 million investment in electronic equipment for those who lack the tools to engage in digital learning.

Similar commitments from the Welsh Government are critical to ensuring the attainment gap is not widened further.

The Welsh Government must now focus its attention on education to ensure that the damage done to pupils in Wales does not have long lasting effects, and further that the suspension of proper schooling does not have disproportionate effects on those from the most disadvantaged backgrounds.

The Education Minister needs to publish a mitigation plan, to ensure this period does not have long lasting effects on Welsh pupils, and their futures are not compromised. We have to ensure that Welsh children are not left behind.

We have to make sure this period doesn’t leave long lasting wounds in the educational attainment and well-being of our pupils.