Less than a third of Wigan children in need meet Government standards in the 'three Rs'

Latest Government figures concerning the “three Rs” show looked-after children, pupils in care and those with a child protection plan lag behind their key stage two classmates.

They also show the gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged children in key stage one grew during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Association of School and College Leaders said the most vulnerable pupils have been "most heavily affected by the disruption of the pandemic" and called for greater financial and social support.

The latest Department for Education figures show 44 of 146 (30 per cent) children in need in key stage two in Wigan met the required standard for reading, writing and maths in 2021-22.

This is compared to 61 per cent for all pupils, outlining the gulf between more vulnerable pupils and their peers.

Meanwhile, further DfE figures show the gap between children in need and all pupils in key stage one has grown during the pandemic.

The proportion of children in need across England reaching the expected standard for reading and writing fell by 21 and 28 per cent respectively from 2018-19 to 2021-22.

But attainment for all pupils in the same subjects across the same time period fell by 11 and 17 per cent.

It was a similar story for maths and science, with the percentage of vulnerable pupils meeting the expected grade falling by 20 and 13 per cent respectively – compared to 11 and six per cent for all pupils.

The ASCL said vulnerable pupils have been "most heavily affected" by the pandemic.

Margaret Mulholland, SEND and inclusion specialist, said: "As we return to more settled conditions, there must be focused on support for disadvantaged children from early years right through to post-16 education.

"We echo calls for the pupil premium to be weighted more heavily in favour of persistently disadvantaged pupils, and for more research to be done on the drivers of poor outcomes for vulnerable children.

"Greater financial and social support is needed to reduce the effects of deprivation that are having a direct impact on their learning."

The DfE figures show 53 per cent of key stage two children in need in Wigan reached the expected standard for reading, 42 per cent for writing and 39 for maths.

For all pupils, 76 per cent met the expected reading standard, 72 in writing and 74 in maths.

Cath Pealing, assistant director for education at Wigan Council, said “Whilst we recognise that the performance of children in need at KS2 RWM is behind that of all pupils, set in context the Wigan borough outcome is better than both the regional (plus four per cent) and national (plus 1.5 per cent) figures for this group of children.

“We are committed to supporting our schools and their pupils to overcome this national challenge. Our education strategy ensures that we are ambitious for all children and particularly so for more vulnerable children whose education outcomes are at the heart of our plans.”