Children who have had a social worker at some point during theirschooling are significantly behind their peers academically by the timethey sit their GCSEs, new research shows.
A study by the University of Bristol and the Rees Centre at theUniversity of Oxford revealsthat the attainment gap between thesechildren and their classmates is at least 34 per centby Year 11.
The research suggests that one in seven of all children in England havecome into contact with a social worker at some stage during their schoolyears -and at every key stage of learning these children have worseoutcomes than those who have had no intervention.
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School closures and home education amid the Covid-19 lockdown couldwiden the attainment gap even further, researchers warn.
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The study, which was funded by the Nuffield Foundation, looked attheacademic achievements and progress of children who need a social workerduring their school years.
It found that children who have ever been “in need” of support workers sufferedan educational attainment gap, on average, of between 34 per centand 46 per centin their GCSEs.
Children in need had already fallen significantly behind other childrenat school by the age of 7, with an attainment gap of between 14 per centand17 per centat this stage in primary school, the research suggests.
For the study, children in need were classed as those who have required the support of a socialworker.
Researchers analysed anonymised data of all 471,000 children born inEngland between 2000 and 2001 and tracked their education through to2017, when they took their GCSEs.
They also interviewed 123 children, parents and carers, social workersand teachers.
Many parents of children in need said they were living in poverty and found it difficult to afford what their children needed for school,such as computers and internet access.
Professor David Berridge, emeritus professor in policy studies at the University ofBristol,who led the research, has warned that school closures amidCovid-19 could widen the attainment gap between vulnerable pupils andtheir peers further.
He said: “There are concerns about home education forchildren. We do know that families of children in need don’t necessarilyhave good learning environments and there is a problem with poverty.”
The researchers are calling on the government and schools to provide thesame amount of support to children in need as they do to children incare.
Professor Berridge said: “While there are many policies in place tosupport the education of children in care, this is not the case forchildren in need, who account for three-quarters of all children needinga social worker and are receiving insufficient help.
“Given the huge numbers involved, this needs to be a high governmentpriority so these vulnerable children receive greater support and abetter start in life.”
Anne Longfield, children’s commissioner for England, said: “Too manychildren in this country are growing up in disadvantage, struggling athome and at school.
“The educational prospects for many thousands of children in need are,frankly, terrible. Many leave the education system without even thebasic qualifications.”
She added: “The government has promised to ‘level up’ across thecountry, and this must include properly resourced, cross-departmentalstrategies for tackling the issues that blight the life chances of themost vulnerable children.”
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “Our priority has alwaysbeen protecting the wellbeing of children and young people, butparticularly those vulnerable young people with or who have needed asocial worker.
“That is why we continue to offer school places during the Covid-19pandemic to the most vulnerable children, and have made £3.2 billionavailable to councils to cope with pressures, including in children’ssocial care.
“The government is taking forward action to improve the educationaloutcomes of disadvantaged children, including investing over £2.4billion this year alone in the pupil premium to support those who needit most.”
