Primary school children had lost more than two months of learning in reading when they returned to school in March, according to new data.
This is more than they missed during the autumn term, with months of remote lessons leading to further regression.
Time lost in primary school learning of maths averaged 3.5 months in March 2021, compared with 3.7 months in October 2020.
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But in reading, primary children were an average of 2.2 months behind in March, compared with 1.8 months during the first half of the 2020-21 autumn term (October).
The research from the educational software company, Education Policy Institute and Renaissance Learning, follows the resignation of Sir Kevan Collins, the education commissioner, who quit on Wednesday due to the Government’s £1.4 billion fund for children affected by school closures, which he said fell short of what’s needed.
The study, commissioned for the Department of Education, also uncovered regional disparities, with the northeast of England, Yorkshire and the Humber…
