Covid hits disavantaged pupil attendance in Wigan the most

Teachers’ unions say the Government must do more to help disadvantaged families who have been hit hard by the pandemic.

Pupils across England returned to classrooms from March 8, apart from those unable to attend due to Covid-19 or extremely vulnerable children who are still shielding.

Department for Education figures reveal 88.8 per cent of pupils were being taught on site at state schools in Wigan on March 25 – the last snapshot of attendance before the Easter holidays.

But this dropped to 84.5 per cent for students eligible for FSMs, which are available to children who receive – or whose parents receive – certain government benefits.

The figures, which include state-funded primary, secondary and special schools, are based on a response rate of around 84 per cent.

Nationally, overall attendance was 90 per cent on March 25, while for FSM-eligible students it was 86.

Attendance levels among pupils eligible for FSMs is typically below that for others, said the DfE, with pre-pandemic data showing lower rates for the group.

But the National Education Union said Covid-19 has compounded the challenges facing disadvantaged families, who have been disproportionately affected by the virus.

NEU joint secretary Mary Bousted said: “The pandemic has shone a light on the realities of poverty in the UK, with many thousands of children added to the dreadful statistics over the past year. Clearly, the Government must redouble its efforts to support disadvantaged families, children on FSMs, and address the wider challenges they face.”

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, called on ministers to tackle “the scourge of child poverty” in the wake of the pandemic to address inequalities in education and wider society.

At Wigan primary schools, overall attendance was 90.2 per cent, compared to 86.6 for those on FSMs, while at secondaries the figures were 86.5 and 80 respectively.

Magic Breakfast, which provides morning meals to pupils across the country, said it heard from schools during lockdowns that many families struggled to put food on the table and were forced to visit foodbanks for the first time.

Its head of schools Rachael Anderson said: “Now schools are fully open again, it is particularly important that children from disadvantaged backgrounds attend, not only from the point of view of catching up on lost learning, but so they can receive the nutritional benefits from healthy meals at school.”

A DfE spokeswoman said: “Schools are the best place for children’s education and wellbeing, and we want to encourage all children eligible for FSMs to attend. We have made sure that throughout the pandemic schools have continued to accept applications for FSMs, providing meals to anyone who becomes newly eligible, including while pupils were learning remotely.”

She added that the Government has committed to extending the Breakfast Clubs programme for disadvantaged pupils over the next two years, and other schemes to help children out of term time.

Thank you for reading. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers. If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription. Thanks again.