The Education Recovery Commissioner’s resignation followed the announcement of £1.4 billion in new funding for extra tuition and teacher training by the education secretary Gavin Williamson made earlier yesterday morning.
Sir Kevan was appointed by Boris Johnson in February to develop a long-term plan to help children recover learning lost during the pandemic.
The Government funding amounts to just one tenth of the £15bn that Sir Kevan had recommended was needed for pupils to catch up with lost learning from Covid – equivalent for an average primary school of just £6,000, or £22 per child.
In his resignation letter to the prime minister, he wrote, 'When we met last week, I told you that I do not believe it will be possible to deliver a successful recovery without significantly greater support.'
According to the Education Policy Institute, other countries are spending far more on education recovery, including the US which is investing £1,600 per child, or £2,500 a head in the Netherlands. The UK is spending £50 per head.
Sir Kevan said in a resignation statement, ‘A half-hearted approach risks failing hundreds of thousands of pupils. The support announced by Government so far does not come close to meeting the scale of the challenge and is why I have no option but to resign from my post.
‘One conservative estimate puts the long-term economic cost of lost learning in England due to the pandemic at £100 billion, with the average pupil having missed 115 days in school. The pandemic has affected all pupils, but hit disadvantaged children hardest. A decade's progress to narrow the attainment gap between disadvantaged children and their peers is estimated to have been reversed.
‘The package of support announced yesterday falls far short of what is needed. It is too narrow, too small and will be delivered too slowly. The average primary school will directly receive just £6,000 per year, equivalent to £22 per child. Not enough is being done to help vulnerable pupils, children in the early years or 16 to 19-year-olds.
‘Above all, I am concerned that the package announced yesterday betrays an undervaluation of the importance of education, for individuals and as a driver of a more prosperous and healthy society.’
He added that for children in areas such as the north of England, where schools have been closed for longer, ‘the impact of low skills on productivity is likely to be particularly severe.’
Sir Kevan is a former teacher who became the director of children’s services and chief executive in Tower Hamlets, east London and is well-respected in the education sector.
Until recently he was also chief executive of the Education Endowment Foundation, which examines what works in education.
Sir Kevan had reportedly called for funding for 100 extra hours of teaching per pupil - including for sports, music and the arts.
However, any extra teaching time, or longer school days, will now depend on more funding from the Chancellor's spending review.
Responding to Sir Kevan’s resignation, Stella Ziolkowski, the National Day Nurseries Association’s director of quality and training, said, 'Sir Kevan has a wealth of experience in education and supporting young children and families. His resignation is a real blow that raises important questions about the Government’s commitment to supporting educational recovery from children’s early years through to the end of compulsory education.
'Children have missed out on so many opportunities and experiences due to the pandemic, not just in formal early education settings like nurseries but at home with friends and wider families too.
'The funding announced by the Government to date does not reflect the scale of the challenges faced by nurseries and early years settings in supporting children’s early learning and development. At the same time, childcare providers are facing rising costs, lower income and a workforce crisis as a result of the pandemic.'
Teaching unions have also come out in strong support of Sir Kevan.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said, ‘We know that Sir Kevan had much bolder and broader plans but that these required substantially more investment than the government was willing to provide. He’s tried his hardest on behalf of children and young people, but, in the final analysis, the political will just wasn’t there to support him.’
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders' union NAHT, said, 'Sir Kevan Collins' resignation tops off a truly awful day for the Government and a deeply disappointing one for all those working in schools.
'There is little point in appointing an internationally-respected education expert as catch-up Tsar if you fail to listen to what they have to say. The Treasury have refused to respond to the education crisis in the same way as they have the economic one. It is completely understandable that Sir Kevan chose not to become a pawn in whatever game the government is playing.'
Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said, 'Sir Kevan Collins understood the enormity of the task ahead to support children and young people to recover from the disruption of the pandemic. He also saw that there are no quick or cheap fixes if we are to build an education system that supports high standards and strong mental health for everyone. Unfortunately, the Government which brought him in to provide solutions has totally disregarded his vision.
'This is the moment when Boris Johnson's empty words on prioritising education clash with reality. With a Treasury unwilling to budge, and a prime minister and education secretary happy to stand back and do little or nothing, Kevan Collins' valiant efforts to deliver a serious recovery package fell on the deafest of ears. This is a comprehensive failure of Government at a critical hour.'
Imran Hussain, director of policy and campaigns at Action for Children, said, ‘The unwelcome but understandable resignation of Sir Kevan Collins speaks volumes about the lack of Government action in prioritising the education and wellbeing of children post pandemic.
‘We know that this generation of children are facing huge challenges, not only in education, but with rising levels of child poverty and with the impact of coronavirus on the mental health of young people. Yet, the Government remains in denial on child poverty and has not prioritised vital early support in mental health services that we know will reduce pressures on NHS services in future years.
‘This generation of children face unprecedented challenges. They need an unprecedented response. Childhoods will be damaged and life chances will be diminished by the continued failure to rise to this challenge.’
Meanwhile, in an interview with the BBC yesterday, Boris Johnson insisted there would be 'more funding coming down the track'.
A Downing Street spokesperson said, ‘The prime minister is hugely grateful to Sir Kevan for his work in helping pupils catch up and recover from the effects of the pandemic. The Government will continue to focus on education recovery and making sure no child is left behind with their learning, with over £3bn committed for catch-up so far.’
- What should catch up look like for children in the early years? Read our analysis in the June issue of Nursery World out now and online here
