Lockdown damage to pupils’ education ‘will last for years’

THE damage lockdown has done to Scots pupils’ education will take years to repair, international experts have warned.

They have urged Ministers to adopt a ‘less is more’ approach to the 2020-21 session, with a stripped back curriculum focusing on literacy, numeracy, health and wellbeing.

Schools are set to return on August 11. For most pupils that will mean a mixture of school and home learning, due to the need for social distancing.

The International Council of Economic Advisers (ICEA) has warned that the damage to many pupils’ education would be devastating.

A summary of a meeting between ICEA members and Education Secretary John Swinney was published last week. In its recommendation, the ICEA said: ‘There will be a lot of children and young people, disproportionately from disadvantaged backgrounds, who will have gaps in their learning that may take years to remedy.

‘Addressing this should be the priority and it is right that the Scottish Government is focusing on issues of equity.’ It said pupils should make the most of opportunities for social interaction when they are in the classroom and do more book learning while at home.

The ICEA said: ‘It is crucial that physical distancing does not mark a return to 1950sstyle teaching, with children learning in rigidly spaced rows of desks facing the teacher.

One solution might be to consider a flipped classroom approach, where the limited time students spend in school is used to focus on active learning and student-centred social interaction, and the book-based work is carried out at home.’

The ICEA added: ‘This is a time when less is more. [It is] important to focus on maintaining literacy and numeracy, health and wellbeing, and ways to ease the digital divide.

‘School is more than just a place to learn. It is an important part of the lives of young people. A place to meet friends, meet other adults, feel safe.’

Last week, former First Minister Jack McConnell, who was a maths teacher before entering politics, warned Scotland risked suffering a ‘lost generation’ due to the months pupils have spent out of school.

Responding to the ICEA recommendations, he said: ‘The curriculum will depend on how quickly they are willing to get children back into full-time, organised learning.

‘The immediate priority is to get children back into organised learning spaces and, in particular, those who are vulnerable. Even the academic children are suffering at home – they are stagnating.’

The SNP has come under pressure on education, after Scots attainment fell down international league tables.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘We welcome the council’s advice and the fact that they were very positive about the Scottish Government’s response to managing the Covid-19 crisis.

‘Teachers are working hard to support pupils through these extraordinary times and will continue to do that as children return to school.

‘Curriculum for Excellence helps our children and young people gain the knowledge, skills and attributes needed for life in the 21st Century.

‘While the pandemic has changed many things, our curriculum framework continues to apply.’

‘Closing learning gap should be a priority’