The Difference
Tackling ‘lost learning’ in UK schools
Education experts are getting together to take on the challenge of ‘lost learning’ in schools. The term ‘lost learning’ covers suspensions, exclusions, and persistent absenteeism – all of which have been getting worse because of the pandemic, cost of living crisis and increasing pressure on educational and social services. Lost learning affects marginalised children the most – the students who need additional support most are least likely to get it. For example, children living in poverty were 3.7 times more likely to be suspended than the student population as a whole, while those with special needs were 4 times more likely.
We’re supporting a project that will help make a difference. Charities, think-tanks, unions and investors will pool their expertise and bring together their networks to tackle lost learning. Known as the ‘Who’s Losing Learning Coalition’, they will conduct a large-scale research campaign.
- Every day, over 3,000 children are losing their learning due to suspension from school, up from 2,300 in 2018/19 (the last full year pre-pandemic).
- The majority of school leaders on The Difference’s Inclusive Leadership Course reported a reduction in suspensions within their first year of study and support from The Difference.
- The Difference has established working relationships with more than 300 schools, as well as key figures in the Department for Education and both major political parties.
Coming up with solutions that last
The research campaign is being led by The Difference, a charity that improves the life-outcomes of the most vulnerable children by raising the status and expertise of those who educate them. Through its programmes, research and partnerships, The Difference learns what works to improve outcomes, and shares this best practice across its network and the sector.
Our grant of £75,000 will help fund the research and analysis which aims to expand our understanding of the full scale of the lost learning challenge – and come up with scalable solutions. The coalition will use these findings to drive change through new educational policy.
“The Covid-19 pandemic may be over, but the pandemic of lost learning in England is growing. The most marginalised children – who already have the biggest barriers to opportunity outside of school – are those most likely to be losing learning through absence, suspension and exclusion. This is the new frontier of pedagogy: it is clear that society needs teachers who aren’t just raising standards in their subject, but in the practices which make our children safer, mentally stronger and stop them falling away from learning. We need tools and policy to support school leaders to take the same rigorous approach to inclusion and wellbeing as they have done (successfully) for teaching and learning over the last decade.”
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