Achievement
Behaviour
Mental health
Wellbeing
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Top takeaways
Parent Pay’s ‘Generation catch-up’ report highlights the extent to which pupils, teachers and schools are still feeling the effects of the pandemic disruption to schooling. 86% of teachers agree that pandemic-related learning gaps are impacting pupil achievement, and 53% describe the gaps as ‘major’. Pupil behaviour, mental health and wellbeing, parental engagement and attendance most negatively impact pupil learning. What can schools do to mitigate these factors and support ‘generation catch-up’?
Covid impacts
Generation catch-up 2.0 is based on surveys conducted with 9,000 teachers, middle leaders, senior leaders and headteachers. Surveys and interviews took place March-May 2025.
Headline findings include:
- 86% of education professionals say the pandemic is still having a negative impact on pupil achievement.
- 46% say the learning gap is between half an academic year and two full years.
- 41% of teachers in the most deprived areas say far too many students are falling behind.
- 60% of primary school teachers reported that pandemic-related learning gaps are having a major impact, compared with 46% of secondary teachers.
Current negative impacts
The research explored what factors educators feel are having the most negative impact on pupil learning.
Key factors came out as:
- Pupil behaviour
- Mental health and wellbeing
- Parental engagement.
Parental engagement was a bigger factor for primary teachers, whereas secondary teachers were more likely to cite attendance as a negative factor. Arguably these are similar issues: if parents aren’t engaged in their child’s learning, they are more likely to lose the impetus to get them to school as they become older.
What can be done to support pupils?
The report includes mini case studies and examples from schools and trusts who are employing a variety of strategies to overcome these gaps.
Strategies include:
- A focus on building up key skills, for example writing – practicing handwriting and getting pupils engaged in and enthused about creative writing.
- Improving pupil wellbeing – for example through getting to know pupils and developing a sense of belonging.
- Improving behaviour – for example through fostering an atmosphere of calm, and adopting a child-centred approach.
- Raising attendance levels – for example through putting in place robust practices such as first day contact, and communicating to parents around the impact of lost days at school.
Tips to boost attendance
- Help parents understand the value of education.
- Encourage parents to actively support the school and their child’s attendance.
- Support parents to understand the importance of every day of school and the impact of absence.
- Tackle parental attitudes towards minor illnesses and term-time holidays.
- Provide more support to parents, including those with mental health challenges.
Reflection and action
- Do the research findings resonate with what you see in your setting? Do you see pupils impacted by pandemic-related learning gaps or other challenges?
- What are you doing to address these in your setting?
- What action are you taking in your setting to build positive partnerships with parents?
- Is attendance an issue in your setting? Check out the links below for further ideas and research around improving attendance.
- Does your setting provide training around improving behaviour? Are staff supported in talking to parents about behaviour?
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Reading and resources
