Lee Elliot Major, professor of social mobility at the University of Exeter, said children were arriving at schools in England hungry, tired and anxious, while older pupils were missing sixth form because they were already working to support their families. living crisis a little. Lee Elliot Major, Professor of Social Mobility. Schools were facing an unprecedented challenge due to Covid and the cost of living crisis, he said, and he urged candidates in the Conservative leadership race to set out how they planned to address disadvantage and reduce learning loss caused by the pandemic . “It is vital that there is no policy paralysis created by political instability at a time when leadership is needed to address the unprecedented challenges that schools and universities are currently facing,” he told the all-party caucus on social mobility. “Failure to act now could mean a generation is scarred by the Covid pandemic.” Elliott Major, who was chief executive of the education charity Sutton Trust before being appointed as the first social mobility professor, added: “It is disappointing that there has been little mention of upliftment, social mobility or improving opportunities so far among candidates for the new leader of the Conservative party. “Teachers on the frontline see children coming to school hungry, tired and anxious, while many are still missing school. Pupils are stealing basic items like tissues, they can’t pay for the bus to get to school, some are missing the sixth form because they’ve started working to help their families.” This year, he said, would bring the toughest round of university admissions in living memory as a result of the increased number of 18-year-olds in the overall population and record application rates, just as some universities try to reduce numbers – particularly in the most popular courses – after from two years of over-recruitment. “Not enough money has been spent to help teachers repair the damage caused by the pandemic, and the money spent so far has not been properly implemented.” He said he wanted pupil premium funding, which is given to schools to improve outcomes for the most disadvantaged pupils, to be doubled and eligibility widened to benefit the “working poor” more. In addition, he said, Ofsted inspections and teacher training should include a greater focus on tackling disadvantage and inequalities. Research has shown that the pandemic has resulted in an average learning loss of three to four months among children, with the youngest students most affected. There have also been warnings that the pandemic will lead to a 4-12% drop in income mobility, and Elliot Major is campaigning for a national university tutoring service to help students catch up on lost learning. Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST A Government spokesman said: “We know schools and households are facing rising costs, which is why we are providing over £37 billion to help those who are struggling, targeting those most in need. “Core school funding is increasing, helping to address wider cost pressures. This includes increasing the pupil premium to more than £2.6 billion next year – meaning funding rates per pupil will be the highest, in cash terms, since this funding started.”
