Business Working within the Curriculum
This report Business Working Within the Curriculum is an abridged version of a longer report commissioned by Business in the Community’s (BITC’s) Curriculum Taskforce. In times of lockdown, when students are not able to access the curriculum in the normal way, the taskforce is investigating innovative solutions to support young people whilst also developing the longer-term skills their businesses need for the future.
Call to action
Whilst the country is in lockdown and schools are working to understand how they can support students at home and potentially for the longer term, call your school contacts and ask them how you can support the most disadvantaged students to prevent the educational attainment gap from widening further. Ask how your business can be part of blended learning solutions and mentoring in partnership with teachers to help engage students with their curriculum learning in new ways.
The impact of COVID-19
This research was conducted just before the start of lockdown in March 2020, but many of the insights are more relevant now that young people, particularly the most disadvantaged, are not able to access learning in the same way as before. Since COVID-19 and school closures, the situation is worsening, and Ofsted has warned that the educational attainment gap is widening.
Before COVID-19
Before COVID-19 there were already 4.6 million children in the UK living in poverty. Progress in closing the GCSE attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers had come to a standstill. Between 2017 and 2018, the gap widened slightly, by 0.2 months, to 18.1 months. Since COVID-19 and school closures, the situation is worsening, and Ofsted has warned that the educational attainment gap is widening.
The importance of business working with schools
To ensure that disadvantaged young people are not left behind and businesses are able to access a broad and rich talent pool, it is important that they continue to support young people within the curriculum and adapt the way they provide this support so that young people can still access it.
Tackle the disadvantage gap with BITC
Work with us to be part of the solution to tackling the disadvantage gap and benefit from the combined experience of the network to create and deliver new approaches to working with schools during lockdown.
wHAT IF NO ONE WAS LEFT BEHIND?
