Covid has widened the attainment gap

THE widening GCSE attainment gap between the richest and poorest teenagers in Wales is cause for concern and must not be ignored.

For years there has been a divide between the top grades awarded to pupils on free school meals and those achieved by their better-off peers.

It has been the ambition of successive education ministers to narrow that gap, but it has remained stubborn.

Now it is clear that this divide has swelled further during the pandemic, with exams being cancelled and grades assessed by teachers.

But comparisons are very problematic because it is not a matter of comparing like with like after the last two very abnormal years.

Since March 2020, with schools shut by Covid and children and staff sent home for varying periods to self-isolate, there has been no genuine level playing field in how much education and learning anyone has had.

Can sat exams or assessment for work done during the course – if they are cancelled again next summer – be fair?

New data revealing how the attainment gap has widened come just as schools were told to plan to assess learners for grades again as a contingency in case next summer’s planned exams have to be ditched again.

Success at school is not just about quality teaching. It is about social, economic and health inequality.

There can be no doubt that the most disadvantaged learners have been further disadvantaged by the pandemic.

Some children did not have their own devices to work on from home, some did not have quiet, warm places to work from and some didn’t even have enough to eat, according to reports from some headteachers at the height of lockdowns.

Not all children have families who can help with their schoolwork or have access to private tuition.

Steps taken by the Welsh Government and teachers to address lost learning are to be welcomed, but the ripples and effect on education will be felt for years to come.

Schools cannot tackle this alone.

We need fresh focus from politicians to achieve a more equal and fair society.

The pandemic has made this an even more urgent matter.