Written question WQ89787

The Welsh Government statistical release published on 23rd November provides information on national-level attainment patterns for reading and numeracy for Years 2 to 9, between 2018/19 and 2022/23. The statistical release does not include information on the attainment gap between different groups of learners. A more comprehensive release on the 2018/19 to 2022/23 data, to be published in late spring 2024, will show demographic differences, for example between male and female learners and the gap between learners eligible for free school meals and their peers.

Before the pandemic, Wales was making positive progress in literacy and numeracy. The pandemic has had a significant impact on learning, both through the amount of time that all children and young people missed from school; the differential experience of this in different schools and areas; the greater impact on those impacted by poverty or have additional learning needs; and the distinctive impact on very young children who missed key developmental steps. The £500 million we put in Renew and Reform over 2021/22 and 2022/23 was designed to coordinate our support for those most impacted by Covid, and the recent evaluation of the Recruit, Recover and Raise Standards programme demonstrates the beneficial impact of our support. However, it is now widely believed that the consequences of lost access to education at all levels will be felt for years to come.