Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to publish the data collected (a) by Renaissance Learning on catch up needs for pupils in England and (b) by Ipsos MORI on catch up premium funds.

The department commissioned Renaissance Learning, and their subcontractor the Education Policy Institute, to collect data from a sample of schools to provide a baseline assessment of education lost and catch-up needs for pupils in schools in England, and to monitor progress over the course of the 2020/21 academic year and the autumn term 2021.

The latest findings from this research, published 29 October, includes data from the 2020/21 summer term and a summary of all previous findings. Complete findings from the 2020/21 academic year can be found on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupils-progress-in-the-2020-to-2021-academic-year-interim-report.

The department has a contract with Ipsos MORI, in consortium with Sheffield Hallam University and the Centre for Education and Youth, to undertake a mixed-methods research study, which includes gathering data through surveys of school leaders, interviews and case studies, to examine how they have responded to the impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak, including how they are tackling the issue of lost education.

Interim results from the study will be published before the end of the year and will be used to understand school recovery approaches, including use of the catch-up premium, and how best to support schools going forwards. The research is set to continue in the 2021/22 academic year, with a final report at the end of 2022.