Kate Green MP, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, commenting on the Education Policy Institute’s 2020 Annual Report, said:

  “Even before the coronavirus pandemic began, the Conservatives were failing to give every young person the best start in life.

“Progress in reducing inequality had ground to a halt, and the government have failed to support the most disadvantaged children while their schools were closed.

“The repeated failures to close the attainment gap is a sign of the stark incompetence of a government that has spent the summer creating chaos with the exams fiasco instead of focusing on getting schools open.

“It is time for them to get a grip, and ensure that every young person return to education in September.”