Education recovery and resilience in England

The return to school and catch-up policies

Good childhood report 2020

The cost of a child in 2020

Nowhere to play

A rapid review of the impact of quarantine on children’s play

Primary assessment

A movement for movement

Temporary street closures for play make sense for public health

Economic impact of increasing children’s physical activity

Publications Category: Children and young people

 

Education Policy Institute, May 2021

This report finds that a three-year funding package totalling £13.5bn will be required by the government to reverse the damage to pupils’ learning as a result of the pandemic.

Included in the raft of recommendations is that £2bn is invested to create universal summer holiday programmes for all children between the ages of 5 and 16, over the next three years.

Policies which EPI is calling on the government to implement include extended school hours for social and academic activities, additional Pupil Premium funding, summer wellbeing programmes, more incentives for teachers to work in “challenging areas”, further mental health support in schools and an option for some pupils to retake the year.

The series of education interventions total £13.5bn over the course of this Parliament and taken together, would seek to reverse the lost learning seen by pupils since March 2020. The package compares with the DfE’s annual schools budget for England of £48bn.

Play news
Parents support wellbeing catchup
Four out of five parents support education catch up policies to support their children's wellbeing according to the IFS.
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Institute for Fiscal Studies, March 2021

In this briefing note, we analyse data collected in the last week of February 2021 to understand parents’ views about two important aspects of the return to school.  

On 8 March, all pupils in England will return to in-person schooling after what is hopefully the final period of COVID-related blanket school closures. This is an important first step in starting to undo some of the damage that the pandemic has inflicted on children’s education and well-being, and in starting to close the educational inequalities that have widened between those from disadvantaged and better-off backgrounds. However, simply reopening the school gates will not be enough on its own; addressing the consequences of the pandemic is set to be the most important challenge in education policy over the coming years.

 

Children and young people
The cost of a child in 2020
This report, by the Child Poverty Action Group and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation looks at what  families need to provide a minimum socially acceptable standard of living for their children.
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The return to school and catch-up policies

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Children’s Society, November 2020

The 2020 report finds that 15-year olds in the UK are among the saddest and least satisfied with their lives in Europe. Fear of failure’ is particularly acute and many feel that their life doesn’t have a sense of purpose. The report calls for a rethink of education to ensure wellbeing and achievement go hand in hand, and for the kickstarting of a decade of renewal for young people as the country emerges from the coronavirus crisis.

See the full report here

Children and young people
The cost of a child in 2020
This report, by the Child Poverty Action Group and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation looks at what  families need to provide a minimum socially acceptable standard of living for their children.
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Child Poverty Action Group, October 2020

This report, by the Child Poverty Action Group and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation looks at what  families need to provide a minimum socially acceptable standard of living for their children. In a year when unemployment has doubled due to the coronavirus pandemic and despite additional government support for those affected, it finds a significant gap between the cost of raising a child and out of work benefits. Access the report here

Children and young people
A rapid review of the impact of quarantine on children's play
A rapid literature review of the impact of quarantine, isolation, or other restrictive environments on children’s play and whether play may mitigate the adverse effects of such restrictions.
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The cost of a child 2020

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Association of Play Industries, April 2017

A Freedom of Information request reveals that local authorities are closing children’s play areas

Between 2014 and 2016, 65 local authorities closed 214 playgrounds. A further 234 playgrounds are earmarked for closure by 60 local authorities over the next three years. This report puts these cuts into context and calls for a funding injection to reverse the decline.

Play streets
Street play initiatives in disadvantaged areas
This report explores how local, resident-led street play initiatives and programmes are being taken forward in disadvantaged areas.
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Nowhere to play

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A rapid literature review of the impact of quarantine and restrictive environments on children’s play and health outcomes

June 2020: PEDAL

In the wake of the current COVID-19 health crisis, there is uncertainty and concern about the impact this pandemic will have on children’s health and educational outcomes. Due to severe lockdown regulations around the world, typical play experiences have needed to adapt to school and playground closures, changes to peer interactions, and social distancing. This report also looks at whether play may mitigate the adverse effects of such restrictions; given that it is such a fundamental part of childhood and can be integral to children’s health in moments of crisis.

Full report here

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Eleventh report of session 2016-17

April 2017: House of Commons Education Committee

The way in which children at primary school were assessed changed considerably in 2016. New tests were introduced to reflect the new national curriculum, first taught in 2014, and new measures of attainment were introduced. This report  finds that the implementation was rushed and that the new assessment process risked narrowing of the curriculum and ‘teaching to the test’, as well as affecting teacher and pupil wellbeing negatively.

Download the report here

Adventure play
Adventure playgrounds: the essential elements
This updated briefing draws on the work of an expert group of play theorists and practitioners, to identify the unique characteristics of the adventure playground model of play provision.
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Children and young people
Economic impact of increasing children's physical activity
Increasing physical activity among children is a potentially important public health intervention. Quantifying the economic and health effects of the intervention would help decision makers understand its impact and priority. This report suggests that if 50 percent of children in the US exercised for 25 mins daily, $8.1 billion in direct medical costs and $13.8
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A report by Dr Aric Sigman

January 2019: Association of Play Industries

This report addresses in particular the relationship between an increasingly screen-based, sedentary lifestyle and declining outdoor physical activity, and the implications for children’s physical and mental health. Although this is a complex relationship involving other lifestyle factors such as diet, it is an important yet under-recognised relationship of growing concern to child health professionals. Read the full report here

Play
A residents' guide to play streets
Do you want your street to be friendlier and safer; more sociable, happier, healthier? Find out how with our easy to read guide to play streets.
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An evaluation of the national DoH -funded Street Play Project

31 July 2017: Play England

This report is an evaluation of the Street Play Project delivered by London Play, Playing Out and Play England, and includes persuasive arguments for the public health benefits of play streets. Among the findings are that children’s time spent outdoors and active during street closures is more likely to replace sedentary behaviours indoors rather than active behaviours indoors or outdoors after school.

Download the report here

Built environment
Nowhere to play
A Freedom of Information request by the Association of Play Industries has revealed that local authorities across England are closing children’s playgrounds.
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Making the economic case for more play

May 2017:  Health Affairs

Increasing physical activity among children is a potentially important public health intervention. Quantifying the economic and health effects of the intervention would help decision makers understand its impact and priority. This report suggests that if 50 percent of children in the US exercised for 25 mins daily, $8.1 billion in direct medical costs and $13.8 billion in lost productivity could be averted.

Access the full report here (paywall)

Children and young people
Temporary street closures for play make sense for public health
This evaluation of the Street Play Project delivered by London Play, Playing Out and Play England includes persuasive arguments for the public health benefits of play streets.
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