Progress of “most pupils” at schools in Wales has been “negatively affected” by the Covid pandemic and “the system will continue to feel the impact for years to come”, the man in charge of education standards has admitted. The effect of the pandemic is still being felt nearly three years on, Estyn chief inspector Owen Evans says in his annual report for 2021-22, published today (WEDS JAN 18).
Speaking to WalesOnline as he launched the report, Mr Evans identified the three age groups he believed had been worst hit by Covid lockdowns and closures:
- Early years children aged three to six
- The transition years between primary and high school and;
- Year 10 and 11 GCSE years
Read more: Teachers in England and Wales to go on strike in February and March
Launching the report, he warned: “Don’t think we are out of the pandemic yet. Don’t for one minute think the effect of the pandemic is out of the system. There are years of recovery to come. The biggest thing is we have to realise that, although a number of things are changing, we are still in that phase. A number of pupils across the sector have fallen behind and we can’t ignore that...we can’t gloss over the effect of that year and a half.”
The chief inspector said there had been variation in how well schools had responded during the pandemic. Those that did best concentrated on wellbeing as well as academic progress and not wellbeing alone. Mr Evans believed it was right to continue to adapt external WJEC exams to account for the impact of the pandemic on learning. A return to “normal” pre-pandemic grading in 2025 might also be too early, he said.
In his annual report for 2021-22 the chief inspector said that, despite hard work by teachers, numeracy, literacy and oracy skills had been “slow to improve”, Welsh language learning had suffered, while poor attendance and wellbeing, especially among more disadvantaged learners, were among ongoing problems as schools returned to more normality in 2021-22.
The hard hitting document, published as teachers voted to strike over pay, warned “the problem is being compounded by issues in recruiting suitably qualified staff”. Unions say pay erosion over many years is seeing teachers leave the profession or not join and they have branded the 5% pay rise offered by the Welsh Government an “insult” . You can read more about that here
Mr Evans would not be drawn on this year’s 5% pay offer, but revealed that Estyn was now in talks with the Independent Pay Review Body for Wales providing evidence for next year’s offer.
“We are having discussions at the moment and can only put the evidence. That evidence is there are issues around recruitment in schools and among subject specialists,” he said. Estyn’s role was not to be involved in politics, but there was “weakness in (teacher) recruitment and retention” he stressed.
In his first annual report as head of Estyn, Mr Evans also pulled no punches in highlighting the challenges ahead for schools and colleges. As well as the negative effects of the pandemic and classroom closures, the effect of deprivation on children’s education also needed to be tackled and progress on the new curriculum “remains a challenge”.
The new curriculum for Wales was rolled out last term, despite calls from some headteachers and unions for a delay while they addressed post-pandemic pressures. Progress with the reform was “variable”, Mr Evans warned.
He praised those working in educations for their “fortitude” and said pandemic recovery would come through providing high quality teaching and leadership. "For all sectors, 2021-2022 was dominated by dealing with the ongoing impact of the pandemic. Education and training providers responded with fortitude to these challenges, placing learners at the heart of their work."
His 123-page annual report 2021-22 follows a series of previous findings from others, including the Children’s Commissioner, academics and Estyn, that pupils’ progress and wellbeing had been hit by lockdowns and remote learning.
“Most learners’ progress has, to varying extents, been negatively affected and the problem is being compounded by issues in recruiting suitably qualified staff,” the document said, “In response, the inspectorate has this year provided resources to help those working in education and training to support the continuing focus on improvement.”
The report highlights how children and teenagers were mainly enthusiastic to return to face-to-face learning in the 2021-22 academic year, and although school leaders reported an increase in the number of children with speech, language, emotional and behavioural issues, they had worked well with external agencies to help address this. Good work had also been done in bringing children back and expanding teaching and learning experiences.
On Welsh language, the chief inspector’s report said that during periods of lockdown, pupils did not have enough opportunities to develop and use their Welsh language skills. “This had a significant impact on pupils’ confidence, fluency and inclination to speak Welsh in all schools. Also, there was clear frustration amongst educational leaders regarding the lack of Welsh-speaking staff across the education system. Overall, progress towards increasing the use of the Welsh language remains a significant area of concern.”
On wellbeing, the report said “a few pupils demonstrated challenging behaviour" as they struggled to readapt to school life. “Across the system we saw increasing demand for wellbeing and mental health support, and attendance, particularly amongst the most disadvantaged learners, remained at lower levels than pre-pandemic”.
Schools that improved during 2021-22
Inspections were halted during the pandemic and have been changed to remove the five rankings and give broader explanations of standards and areas needing improvement. Mr Owen said this had improved communication and helped schools identify what they needed to work on.
A total of 27 schools and pupil referral units improved enough to be removed from Estyn statutory follow-up in the 2021-22 academic year. They are:
Ysgol Awel y Mynydd Primary, Conwy
Pentip Primary School, Carmarthenshire
Ysgol Gymraeg Gilfach Fargoed Primary, Caerphilly
Ysgol Bro Sannan Primary, Caerphilly
Abermorddu School Primary, Flintshire
Craig-Yr-Hesg Primary,Rhondda Cynon Taf
Cefn Primary,Rhondda Cynon Taf
St Alban’s R.C. Primary, Cardiff
Ysgol Gymraeg Ffwrnes Primary, Carmarthenshire
Ogmore Vale Primary, Bridgend
Ysgol Y Castell Primary, Carmarthenshire
Plasnewydd Primary, Bridgend
Bryn C.P. Primary, Carmarthenshire
Porth Community School all age school, Rhondda Cynon Taf
Abertillery Learning Community, all age scvhool, Blaenau Gwent
Ysgol Ardudwy Secondary, Gwynedd
Ysgol Dyffryn Ogwen Secondary, Gwynedd
Ysgol Harri Tudur/Henry Tudor School Secondary, Pembrokeshire
St Julian’s School Secondary, Newport
Croesyceiliog School Secondary, Torfaen
Ysgol Bryn Alyn Secondary, Wrexham
Milford Haven School Secondary, Pembrokeshire
Newtown High School Secondary, Powys
Aberdare Community School Secondary, Rhondda Cynon Taf
Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni Secondary, Caerphilly
Bridge Achievement Centre Pupil Referral Unit, Newport
Ty Gwyn Education Centre Pupil Referral Unit, Rhondda Cynon Taf
A further 16 schools remain in statutory follow-up resulting from core inspections that took place before the pandemic. Inspectors continue to monitor these.
Read next:
- Cardiff's schools and education service have improved 'incrementally' say inspectors
- Teaching union overwhelmingly votes to strike but fails to reach turnout threshold
- The strikes set to cause more disruption in days and weeks ahead
- Wales' schools watchdog has detailed the huge effects of the pandemic on children's learning
- 'Our kids can't go to school because the council has housed us miles away'
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