How is levelling up progressing in the north east?

What nobody could have anticipated in the depths of the pandemic and the alleged return to ‘normality’ with its promise of levelling up was that things could actually get worse. The impact of school closures on young people continues into this academic year, and is complemented by a cost-of living-crisis, rampant inflation, rising energy costs, war in Ukraine, the ongoing impact of the pandemic itself, and, we’ve been reliably informed, a looming carbon dioxide crisis that could lead to ‘rapidly rising pint costs’ (Yes, really!). 

In 2021/22, Schools North East began ‘State of the Region’ surveys, conducted once a term to monitor Covid’s lasting impact. Our survey for this autumn term highlights significant, ongoing challenges around attendance, persistent absence, behaviour, mental health and wellbeing.

Children from disadvantaged backgrounds in the north east have had greatly reduced time in class compared to their less disadvantaged peers nationally, and the impact on staff and student wellbeing has been severe.

We asked schools to rate current staff wellbeing on a scale of one (very poor) to five (very good). 46 per cent rated staff wellbeing as three, and 35 per cent as four. Over 30 per cent of schools rated wellbeing as worse than in the summer term, and nearly two-thirds said wellbeing was worse or much worse than the pre-pandemic autumn term. Three-quarters of school leader respondents rated their own wellbeing as three or below.

Before the pandemic, the education sector was already facing a crisis in recruitment and retention, often related to issues of workload. These challenges have been further exacerbated as school staff support students returning from disrupted education and schools are asked to taken on an even greater range of responsibilities.

One positive survey result is positive student wellbeing, with over 70 per cent of schools rating it as four or above. A focus on wellbeing as part of a full and engaging curriculum and the return to pre-Covid routines are driving this encouraging outcome.

But in spite of that, over 60 per cent of schools said they were experiencing more behaviour-related challenges than pre-pandemic. This was particularly the case for younger students. Schools noted their lack of social skills and emotional preparedness, with pupils in reception and year 1 being markedly less mature than pre-pandemic cohorts.

There are similar issues for year 7s transitioning from primary school to secondary. However, these are generally increased by additional challenges around anxiety, resilience, and respect for authority. Almost 80 per cent of schools – primary and secondary alike – said that students are not ‘stage ready’.

These challenges are putting significant strain on schools and their staff and come at a time when school budgets are being stretched. According to our survey, just under half of north east schools are expecting their energy costs to double or more in 22/23. The majority said that increased costs on staffing and energy will push them into a deficit in the next three years. Almost three-quarters of schools said they would use reserves to address those higher outgoings.

As such, the announcement of additional funding in the autumn statement is welcome. However, it is still not clear whether the government has adequately grasped the full extent of the challenges facing schools in areas like the north east, which saw some of the highest rates of disruption, particularly in the 2021 Summer term. Coupled with high rates of long-term disadvantage, our region’s students are disproportionately affected.

Too often, policy on catch-up has taken a one-size-fits-all approach. Take the National Tutoring Programme, for example. Our lack of pre-existing tutoring infrastructure and the recruitment and retention crisis have made it particularly difficult for our schools to engage with the NTP. And with schools having to now subsidise 40 per cent of tutoring sessions, engagement is further impacted. And yet funds are going unspent and remain with the treasury.

Term by term, our research proves how vital it is that adequate resources are targeted at those schools and communities that need it most. For now though, rather than ‘levelling-up’, key numbers in the north east are still travelling in the wrong direction.