
COSMO – Education recovery and catch-up
Think tank: The Sutton Trust
Author(s): Various Authors
October 13, 2022
This report from UK think tank the Sutton Trust looks at the experiences of young people after they returned to school post-pandemic.
The second briefing from the COVID Social Mobility and Opportunities Study (COSMO) looks at the experiences of young people after they returned to school, including absences, access to catch up support and their own opinions on their progress. Many students missed a large amount of school time during the pandemic, even after schools had re-opened nationally. During the 2020/21 academic year, 18% of year 11 students missed more than 20 days of school, with a further 24% missing between 11 and 20 days. 37% of those at state schools said they had fallen behind their classmates – more than double the figure for independent school students. Overall, 53% of young people took part in at least one type of ‘catch-up’ activity. The National Tutoring Programme was a flagship part of the government’s catch-up plans, providing one-to-one and small group tuition to pupils. 41% of year 11 pupils in state comprehensive schools reported being offered some type of tutoring, with 27% taking it up.