Less than two in five children in need in Oldham meet education standard

File photo dated 05/03/2017 of a primary school teacher marking a pupil's maths homework. Children in the "best-off" homes were more likely to report having had private tutoring than their peers in the "worst-off" homes (35% compared with 21%), according to the Sutton Trust report. A survey of 2,394 schoolchildren aged 11 to 16 in England and Wales found that 30% said they have had private tuition, up from 27% pre-pandemic. The proportion is the joint highest figure since the survey began in 2005, when it stood at 18%. Issue date: Thursday March 9, 2023.

Less than two in five children in need in Oldham met the required standard across reading, writing and maths last year, new figures show.

The figures show looked-after children, pupils in care and those with a child protection plan lag behind their key stage two classmates.

They also show the gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged children in key stage one grew during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Association of School and College Leaders said the most vulnerable pupils have been "most heavily affected by the disruption of the pandemic" and called for greater financial and social support.

The latest Department for Education figures show 50 of 138 (36%) children in need in key stage two in Oldham met the required standard for reading, writing and maths in 2021-22.

This is compared to 52% for all pupils, outlining the gulf between more vulnerable pupils and their peers.

Meanwhile, further DfE figures show the gap between children in need and all pupils in key stage one has grown during the pandemic.

The proportion of children in need across England reaching the expected standard for reading and writing fell by 21% and 28% respectively from 2018-19 to 2021-22.

But attainment for all pupils in the same subjects across the same time period fell by 11% and 17%.

It was a similar story for maths and science, with the percentage of vulnerable pupils meeting the expected grade falling by 20% and 13% respectively – compared to 11% and 6% for all pupils.

The ASCL said vulnerable pupils have been "most heavily affected" by the pandemic.

Margaret Mulholland, SEND and inclusion specialist, said: "As we return to more settled conditions, there must be focused on support for disadvantaged children from early years right through to post-16 education.

"We echo calls for the pupil premium to be weighted more heavily in favour of persistently disadvantaged pupils, and for more research to be done on the drivers of poor outcomes for vulnerable children.

"Greater financial and social support is needed to reduce the effects of deprivation that are having a direct impact on their learning."

The DfE figures show 55% of key stage two children in need in Oldham reached the expected standard for reading, 43% for writing and 50% for maths.

For all pupils, 71% met the expected reading standard, 60% in writing and 67% in maths.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: "At the heart of the Government’s agenda is an ambition to drive up standards, quality, and outcomes for all pupils. Our record speaks for itself with 88% of schools now Ofsted rated good or outstanding, compared to 68% in 2010."We know that the pandemic had an impact on pupils learning, which is why we’ve made available almost £5 billion in education recovery initiatives, through which nearly three million tutoring courses have started."We are also supporting the most disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils through pupil premium funding, which will increase to £2.9 billion in 2023-24 – the highest cash terms rate since this funding began."