Pupils lost a third of their expected learning during COVID, with Wales and Scotland even further behind

Most pupils missed over half of their expected days in the classroom during the pandemic, write Lee Elliot Major, Andrew Eyles and Stephen Machin (LSE). Children in Scotland and Wales lost even more learning than those in England. Meanwhile, absences due to self-isolation are rising and official figures show that attendance on 1 July in state-funded schools in England was down to 83.4%. Should schools let pupils repeat a year, or extend the school day?