04 April 2022
The Government has released a report providing the progress made in supporting children and young people to recover from the loss of learning caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2021, £1.24 million of funding was made available from the COVID Recovery Fund to support pupils' learning following the closure of schools during the pandemic, and the potential for ongoing absences due to COVID-19. An additional £2.94 million has been allocated in the Government Plan to provide ongoing support.
The COVID-19 Jersey Education Recovery Report 2021 details the progress made across four programmes between Autumn 2020 and December 2021. This includes: the Jersey Tutoring Programme; Reading Recovery; the OLEVI Teaching Programme and the Mathematics Recovery Programme.
Evidence collected by the School Improvement and Advisory Service (SIAS), in Children, Young People, Education and Skills, who produced the report, so far shows that:
- Pupils in Government of Jersey schools have taken part in 12,053 hours of tutoring through the Jersey Tutoring Programme
- All groups (English as an Additional Language (EAL), Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND) and Jersey Premium (JP) have made progress despite the challenges of COVID-19
- 87% of pupils working with Reading Recovery teachers have now reached the average reading level for their year group
- 221 teachers have received OLEVI coaching and mentoring training
- 106 primary school teachers and teaching assistants have completed the Mathematics Recovery Programme.
Minister for Children and Education, Deputy Scott Wickenden, said: "Across the world, we know that COVID-19 has had a significant and long-lasting impact on children and young people, including on their wellbeing and education.
"Schools have been working tirelessly to ensure their pupils get the support they need and to address the gaps in learning. The COVID-19 Education Recovery Programme provides us with further evidence that the additional programmes we have put in place to support schools – sustained by significant funding – are beginning to have an impact.
"We know that there is no quick fix for the learning lost during COVID-19; however, we see evidence that these measures are having an impact on the most disadvantaged pupils and are equipping teachers with the skills and knowledge they need to support children in their recovery."
The report also highlights future action to build on this initial progress, including delivering programmes to more staff and pupils to address the loss of learning.
The Jersey Tutoring Programme offers small-group and individual tutoring to children and young people in primary and secondary schools to stop the loss of learning and - over time - to support schools in addressing the gaps in pupils' skills knowledge and understanding.
Reading Recovery has received additional funding to train more teachers and raise the attainment in reading and writing for children aged 5-7 with the lowest literacy attainment rates.
Both programmes focus on supporting children whose learning has suffered the most during the pandemic. This includes pupils with English as an Additional Language (EAL), pupils with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND), those eligible for Jersey Premium funding (JP), and/or those who are classed as looked after children, or who are supported through social care plans.
The OLEVI Teaching Programme provides additional training for teachers and leaders to overcome the challenges caused by COVID-19. The Mathematics Recovery Programme provides specialist 'number sense' training to allow teachers to support maths skills, especially among the most disadvantaged children.
The full report is available online via the Government of Jersey website: https://www.gov.je/Government/Pages/StatesReports.aspx?ReportID=5537
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