Lost learning during Covid 'to cost Northern children £25bn in future wages'

The report, produced by the Northern Health Science Alliance and N8 Research Partnership, and called The Child of the North: Building a fairer future after Covid-19, estimates that the loss of learning during interruptions from schooling as a result of the pandemic will cost £24.6bn in lost wages over lifetime earnings.

Its study found that in primary maths, by the second half of the autumn 2020 terms and before the third lockdown of early 2021 pupils in Yorkshire and Humber experienced 5.3 months of learning loss compared to less than a month in the South West and London.

The report said there were lower levels of parental engagement with homeschooling than in the South, while primary school-aged girls in Yorkshire and Humber had their mental health “significantly and negatively affected” by the pandemic and the associated lockdowns.

Among the report’s recommendations are focused investment in early years services, increasing spending on schools in disadvantaged areas and produce an impact assessment on the costs of supporting children with complex care and support needs.

Professor of Epidemiology at the University of York and co-lead author of the report Kate Pickett said: “Levelling up for the North must be as much about building resilience and opportunities for the Covid generation and for future children as it is about building roads, railways and bridges.

“But the positive message of this report is that investment in children creates high returns and benefits for society as a whole.”

Prior to the pandemic, the North saw much larger cuts to spending on Sure Start children’s centres. On average, spending was cut by £412 per eligible child in the North, compared to only £283 in the rest of England.

Professor of Public Health and Policy at the University of Liverpool and co-lead author of the report David Taylor Robinson said: “Children growing up in the North of England get a bad deal.

“Due to poverty and lack of investment, their outcomes are worse across the board - from risk of death in childhood, to obesity, mental health, and education, and the pandemic has made the situation worse.

"The stark inequalities exposed in our report are preventable and unfair. Levelling up must begin with better policies for children.”

Lemn Sissay OBE, Poet, Author and Chancellor of the University of Manchester, who wrote the foreword for the report, said: “Inequality has been shown to be one of the most damaging things to society.

“The Child of the North report is a call to government, to educators, to all of us who are participants in this society, of our duty to gift our children equality, no matter where they are born.”

Government defends approach

Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi has defended the Government’s catch-up plans for schools.

Shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson said the Government “risks letting down a generation” with its “abject failure” on catch-up plans.

Mr Zahawi said: “What we are doing is focusing on outcomes.

“So, those students who have got the least time left in education, the 16 to 19-year-olds, are getting an extra hour a week of education, that’s £800 million in the budget. And then an additional billion for secondary and primary school pupils, especially those who are most disadvantaged.”

Read more:

Rishi Sunak: 'I can't say yes to everyone who comes knocking on my door'

Support The Yorkshire Post and become a subscriber today. Your subscription will help us to continue to bring quality news to the people of Yorkshire. In return, you'll see fewer ads on site, get free access to our app and receive exclusive members-only offers. Click here to subscribe.