DISADVANTAGED secondary school pupils in Cumbria fell further behind their classmates during the coronavirus pandemic, new figures show.

Department for Education figures show 23.3 per cent of disadvantaged children in Cumbria achieved grade five or above in GCSE English and maths in 2021-22, compared to 51.3 per cent for all other children.

It meant the attainment gap was 28 percentage points last year – up from 24.5 in 2018-19, the last academic year uninterrupted by Covid-19.

Different figures detailing attainment across eight GCSE subjects show the gap between the average cumulative grade of disadvantaged children compared to their peers has also widened across England, from 13.6 in 2018-19 to 15.1 in 2021-22.

In Cumbria, non-disadvantaged children outperformed disadvantaged pupils by 14.8 points last year – up from 14.2 before the pandemic.

Councillor Sue Sanderson, Cumbria County Council Cabinet Member for Schools and Learning, said however that Cumbria's schools have been known to achieve when coming from deprived environments. 

"Results in 2019 reflected the previous patterns of above national average outcomes over a number of years in Cumbria. This is significant as Cumbrian schools have historically achieved well despite low starting points and high levels of deprivation.

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"During the academic year 2021-22, we experienced one third of schools with Covid cases and around 80 primary schools with outbreaks on a daily basis. For example, even on March 2022, there were 83 schools with outbreaks above 10 per cent at amber rating and five schools at red rating receiving additional support.

"Cumbria was hit badly, especially after holidays, with Covid cases above the national average. This led to challenge from the Department for Education due to deterioration in our attendance levels. Public Health England was given additional powers in Cumbria to deal with outbreaks in schools after measures were removed nationally.

"The local authority has analysed and discussed results with schools and those who have dipped significantly have had a visit with their adviser. Writing has been identified as an issue. Writing skills were affected most by the move to remote learning.

"Advisers are now leading professional development opportunities across the curriculum and have added associate advisers and subject consultants for English and Maths to boost team capacity. Improving writing and phonics to support early writing is a school development priority in many of our schools due to Covid related gaps.

"It’s important to remember that the percentage of schools who are good or better has been retained in recent inspections. Quality of Education judgements during inspections have been very positive, including in schools with lower 2022 outcomes," she said. 

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