Addressing the recent EPI report on Covid-19 and its impact on education

On 17 March, the BBC released an article sharing findings from a recent Education Policy Institute (EPI) study. The study found that Covid-19 has significantly widened the education gap between pupils from low-income families and other pupils.

The BBC highlights that Covid-19 has significantly affected pupil attendance, with Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson emphasising its impact on pupils’ attitudes toward school attendance, indicating that ‘lockdowns had cast “a long shadow” over the life chances of the youngest children.’

The EPI report’s findings, which are measured using GCSE results, show that the gap is widening—Natalie Perera, the head of the EPI is quoted in the BBC article clarifying that there’s “a very clear link” that has been made between ‘how much children from the lowest income families attend school, and how far behind other pupils they have fallen.’

To put this into perspective, the Department for Education has found that more than 1 in 3 pupils (36%) who were eligible for free school meals in England were persistently absent in 2023-2024, missing at least 10% of possible school sessions.

City Year UK’s latest annual impact report (due to be launched in April), uncovers similar findings. Since our charity was founded 15 years ago, we have seen how children and young people have been hit hard by austerity, Covid-19, and the cost of living crisis. As highlighted in this report, while we continue to face devastating levels of absenteeism, exclusions, and mental health issues, pressures on schools remain unprecedented and continue to grow.

The alarming state of the educational gap for pupils from underserved communities is why the work of City Year UK is more important than ever. As a charity, we continue to work towards eradicating educational inequality, supporting children and young people from low-income backgrounds so they have the tools and resources they need to succeed in school and beyond. As quoted in the BBC piece, the Educational Secretary stated that it’s important that pupils get the “support they need to thrive” and our model makes sure that this happens.

We recruit, train, and provide career development opportunities to young people (aged 18-25), who commit to volunteering with us for a full year as City Year Mentors in some of the most underserved schools and communities across the UK. As ‘near peer’ role models and tutors, our City Year Mentors complement the work of teachers and become an integral and flexible part of everyday school life.

Through our model, more than 1,800 young people have dedicated over 2.5 million hours to tackling educational inequality since 2009. In that time they’ve coached and mentored 17,000 children to improve their life chances and provide them with necessary support to succeed.

In 2023-24, our City Year Mentors supported 1,005 children 1:1. A snapshot of data from across our partner schools found that nearly three-quarters ( 73%) of mentored children who started the year with the lowest level of social and emotional skills improved to reach the average (70%) or above average (3%) standard of skills development for their age group. And, despite the growing challenge of absenteeism, 42% improved or maintained their attendance.

But the data only shows part of the picture. Our mentors continue to make an impact within their school communities by forming important relationships with their pupils and school staff. As Will, a City Year Mentor who volunteered with us in 2023-2024 underlines:

“As we strive to create a brighter future for the children we work with, let us remember that our impact goes beyond numbers and statistics – it lies in the connections we forge, the lives we touch and the legacy of support and understanding that we leave behind.”

The individual stories from our City Year Mentors open up the real everyday reality of the important work that goes on in the schools that they work in. Hannah, a former City Year mentor who volunteered with us from 2023-2024, shares a story of a year 11 student she worked with. Hannah explained that at the beginning of the school year, the student was difficult to work with, not opening up to her, and saying nothing. Her attendance in years 9 and 10 was below 50%. Hannah found through persistence and bonding with her over her interests, she managed to get through to the student, getting her to open up about her difficult home life and her anxiety about attending school. By the end of the year, the student’s attendance had improved dramatically standing at 90%. On her last day, the student sent Hannah this email:

“Thank you for always giving me someone to talk to, supporting me always, giving me the best advice and always trying to understand me, always pushing me to my full potential without putting pressure on me. You’ve made me so much stronger and confident. You’ve guided me through the most stressful year of school. You’ve made me motivated to come in and go to lessons. I credit a lot of the growth and maturing I’ve done this year to you. You’ve made me change my perspective on things, helping me see the positive in negative situations. The help you’ve given me is inspiring. I’ll always remember the help and advice. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”

Despite the widening educational gap as highlighted by the EPI, City Year UK’s impact data and stories from our mentors show that with the right support and guidance offered by programmes like ours, all children and young people can achieve their full potential and thrive.

To mark 15 years of City Year UK, we pledge that by July 2029, we will reach thousands more children and young people across the UK and ensure they can succeed in school and beyond. But, as we know, it takes a village – without supporters, like you, this is not possible. Could you help us turn around thousands more young lives? See here how to get involved.