Summary
According to EPI research, COVID-19 has not only highlighted the digital divide but will also almost certainly increase the risk of widening the already desperate attainment gap between the most affluent and disadvantaged students, with the latter being 18 months behind the former prior to the pandemic. I will highlight a comprehensive solution to address the disadvantages facing young people and specifically those from low socio-economic or disadvantaged backgrounds. I identify a threefold solution to tackle: 1) Academic disadvantage, 2) Lack of Pastoral care and 3) Employment disadvantage.
1) Academic Disadvantage
A Lack of digital access has been highlighted and is being addressed by the Department for Education’s scheme to deliver laptops to disadvantaged children. This programme should be improved upon, maintained and not abandoned post-COVID-19.
To address the attainment gap, tuition should be readily available for the most disadvantaged students and those who have struggled with learning disabilities, making studying digitally without usual support difficult. The government should provide vouchers to these students, through DFE and schools, to use in online or local tuition centres. However, this approach could easily be abused by organisations and individuals alike, as it involves money. An alternative solution would be creating a national digital tuition platform managed by the government with physical tuition support available in local libraries, neighbourhood offices and youth centres. This initiative would create employment opportunities and increase the use of institutions that have been increasingly abandoned in the local community.
2) Lack of Pastoral Care
The NSPCC found that there are indications that the conditions caused by the coronavirus pandemic have heightened the vulnerability of children and young people to certain types of abuse. There is evidence that the ‘normal’ safeguards we rely on to protect children and young people have been reduced during the pandemic. These findings are evident through the latest statistics released by DFE, which stated that the number of serious incident notifications increased by 27% compared to the previous year. The number of serious incident notifications related to child death increased from 89 (the year before) to 119 during 2020.
These troubling statistics provide insight into a realisation that more children/young people will emerge from this pandemic having gone through trauma at home, resulting in various issues that tie into their wellbeing and education. There were already significant pressures on children’s services before the pandemic, with OFSTED stating in 2019 that half of the local authorities’ children’s services were deemed ‘inadequate’ or ‘requiring improvement’; a huge reason for this is the lack of resources.
According to research done by EPI, schools and the wider education sector will not only be dealing with the attainment gap but will likely need to provide more pastoral and mental health support to students. They also found that there will be a real risk that pupils will return to schools with fresh behavioural challenges due to their family circumstances or bereavement. The
NSPCC suggests comprehensive and long-term funding for children’s services, with at least £2 billion a year invested in early intervention and therapeutic services, and I agree. I also believe that local authorities’ funding should increase to allow for the reopening and building of community youth centres (which can act as safe spaces) in disadvantaged areas. Many of which were shut down before COVID due to austerity.
Youth centres enable young people to build relationships, act as a safeguarding safety net, provide access to professionals and build critical social and employability skills. The attainment consequences of the pandemic must be addressed. Still, it is equally important to address wellbeing issues expedited by the pandemic, which could be a barrier to ‘catching up’ academically post COVID-19.
Therefore, it’s pivotal to focus on pastoral care and the safety net available for vulnerable children, children in need, and all young people once this pandemic is over; Through funding vital services and building youth centres that can act as hubs in the community.
3) Employment Disadvantage
Past recessions have had devastating effects on young people’s employment prospects.
The UN and International Labour Organisations have coined the term ‘lockdown generation’, which refers to the current cohort of young people who face permanent exclusion from labour markets.
According to research commissioned by the House of Commons, a month after the UK went into lockdown, the number of 18-24-year-olds claiming unemployment benefits rose by 59% compared to previous months, while the number of apprenticeships fell by 80% according to FE week.
People Management found that three in five organisations have stopped apprentices due to COVID-19 and that a third of apprentices had less than one in five chance of completing their programmes. Historically economic downturns have disproportionately affected young people, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The government should play an active part in managing the effects of COVID-19 on youth employment: · By incentivising corporations to protect entry-level jobs
· By incentivising apprenticeship’s
· By incentivising and encouraging organisations to build strong ties with schools in local communities and job centres (especially areas with low progression and high unemployment rates) to offer work experience, workshops, insight and inspire young people
Young people in education have lost out on developing essential employability skills, which are pivotal for their personal development and employment prospects. There should be an active focus on their personal development and employability.
Conclusion
It is imperative to get the economy back on its feet and for people to be reunited with their loved ones and settled back into “normal” life. It is also pivotal for society to be conscious of the impact this pandemic has had on young people whose lives will be shaped by the pandemic. The “lockdown generation” will have a hard enough time getting back to school and getting reintegrated with education. Still, for those from low socio-economic backgrounds, a conscientious reintegration is pivotal and necessary.
Although this solution requires massive investment, bold investment is needed to counteract the detrimental consequences increased youth unemployment and inequality would bring.
2083-11