England’s school year staggers to a disappointing end

THE SCHOOL year in England did not draw to a close, so much as sputter out. By the time schools began breaking up in mid-July, nearly a quarter of pupils were already absent, according to government figures released on July 20th. A large share were stuck at home as a result of rules requiring whole classes to isolate for ten days, should any pupil test positive for covid-19. But absences for other reasons were also far higher than usual. Some parents appeared to have taken children out of school for fear they would be ordered to isolate, potentially grounding the entire family just as the summer holidays began.

It was a depressing finish to a disappointing year. During the autumn term, pupils had seemed to be making up some of the ground lost as a result of low-quality remote teaching when England’s schools were first shut. But the second closure, which began in January, set them back once again. A government study suggests that in April the average primary pupil lagged about two months behind usual prowess in reading, and three months behind in mathematics. Children from poorer families have suffered worst, and will probably also be the slowest to catch up, no matter what help is on offer.

In theory, efforts to help pupils recover from school closures will continue during the holidays. The government has stumped up a...