Schools with cohorts that are not representative of their local communities should be scrutinised and banned from expanding, a new report into the 鈥渓ost learning crisis鈥 has stated. The study, from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) and education charity , said children lost 11.5 million days鈥 worth of learning in the autumn term of 2023. This is a huge rise on the 6.8 million days lost in the same term in 2019, as suspensions, exclusions and children leaving mainstream schools to be home educated has soared post-Covid. For every child permanently excluded, 10 other children experience an 鈥渋nvisible鈥 move that isn鈥檛 recorded in national data, the report found. This includes 鈥渕anaged moves鈥 鈥 informal agreements between schools and families 鈥 as well as the illegal practice of off-rolling. One third of these children go to an 鈥渦nknown destination鈥 鈥 meaning government has 鈥渘o idea where or whether they are still being schooled鈥. 鈥淭o turn the tide of lost learning, the education system must evolve,鈥 the report added. ‘This is the new frontier in education’ Researchers have produced 10 policy solutions to reform the system (see full list below). They include banning “unrepresentative” schools from expanding, Ofsted inspecting how schools monitor lost learning and including future employment and earnings data of pupils in performance measures. They were drawn up with the help of the “lost learning solutions council”, which included sector leaders such as Sir Dan Moynihan, CEO of Harris Federation, the government鈥檚 inclusion tsar Tom Rees and Confederation of School Trusts leader Leora Cruddas. Kiran Gill The report was also based on workshops with more than 100 school, council and community sector staff. Kiran Gill, CEO of The Difference, said: 鈥淥ur education system is failing the children who need it most. Despite school leaders鈥 efforts, the system works against them. The consequences 鈥 rising mental health issues, youth violence, and risks to national growth 鈥 should concern us all. 鈥淭his is the new frontier in education. Without more children in front of their teachers, we cannot raise attainment, improve employment, or give more children the safe, healthy childhood they deserve. It is in everyone鈥檚 interest to find solutions to the crisis of lost learning.鈥 The 10 Lost Learning policy recommendations 1. A 鈥榤easurable鈥 definition of inclusion The report defines whole-school inclusion as 鈥渁ll staff supporting the learning, wellbeing and safety needs of all children, so that they belong, achieve and thrive鈥. It recommends all schools adopt four principles to achieve this: that inclusion is 鈥渂uilt from the universal up鈥, that it is led from the top, involves 鈥渃ommunity collaboration鈥 and that it is measurable. On the latter, the report said inclusion can be measured by 鈥渦nderstanding the wellbeing, safety and belonging of children鈥 and by the amount of 鈥渓ost learning鈥 (which also includes managed moves, internal isolation and truancy). Schools should 鈥渟eek to make progress against these measurements鈥. 2. Make 鈥榣east representative鈥 schools accountable The report said the DfE鈥檚 regional teams should examine schools鈥 intakes, identify those that are least representative of their local community, then hold them to account by asking them to 鈥渁ccount for their admissions policies and practices鈥. 鈥淭he least representative schools and trusts should not be allowed to expand and should no longer be held up as exemplars of good practice,鈥 it said. The report does not provide a methodology on how to identify such schools. However it points to the Education Policy Institute鈥檚 benchmarking tool. It urged councils, trusts and schools to take steps to address a lack of representation, rather than waiting for national policy action. An example given was Brighton council, which has introduced new admissions meaning the year 7 intake for all secondaries will have at least the citywide average of children eligible for free school meals. 3. Include employment and earnings data in league tables 鈥淣ow is the time for bold reform to the accountability system,鈥 the report said, with a fairer system 鈥渢o hold high aspirations for all their pupils鈥. It proposed reforming headline measures by introducing multi-year averages, to reduce the pressure of single-year results, for progress and attainment 8. It also recommended reviewing qualification weightings, and considering adding subjects such as arts and technology to the core subject areas included in headline measures. Meanwhile, performance measures should also consider long-term data on child outcomes, such as employment, earnings, and incarceration. Additional metrics should also be developed to 鈥渞ecognise the extra lengths schools go to in order to help vulnerable pupils succeed鈥. 4. 拢850m for 鈥榳hole-school inclusion鈥 Government should provide 拢850 million of additional funding for whole-school inclusion over the next five years, the report said. The fund would help schools intervene earlier and prevent some SEN cases from 鈥渆scalating鈥 to become education, health and care plans (EHCPs). 鈥淲e need a system that channels resources towards universal systems of support for all children,鈥 the report added, 鈥渞ather than being locked behind legislative thresholds.鈥 Modelling commissioned for the study, by Alma Economics, claimed nearly 100,000 children per year could have their needs met more quickly by their local mainstream school if government properly funded inclusion. The modelling suggested investing in universal and targeted support would cost around 拢170 million a year, or 拢850 million over five years. But this investment 鈥渨ould pay for itself within five years by reducing the need for 35,000 EHCPs鈥, researchers said, because needs will have been met effectively already. The report added 拢77 million of funding could upskill 90,000 teaching assistants 鈥 one in every five 鈥 to 鈥渕ore effectively鈥 support children with additional needs. This would also include a 拢1,500 pay increase for each specialist TA. 5. Inclusion experts in every school 鈥淧rofessional development for leaders on inclusion has not kept pace with other domains of professional development,鈥 the report said. 鈥淪chools, trusts and local authorities should prioritise professional development which leads to measurable improvements in inclusion, increased belonging and reduced lost learning.鈥 It said the DfE鈥檚 review of its professional development offer for teachers and school staff 鈥渟hould include a strong focus on inclusion, including evidence on child development, trusted adult relationships, and improving social, emotional, and speech and language skills鈥. 6. New premium to fund more teachers in poorest schools The ongoing recruitment and retention crisis is affecting schools in disadvantaged communities hardest, the report said. 鈥淎s a result, the pupils who most stand to benefit from the relationships, personalised care and trust that come from 鈥榗ontinuity of care鈥 are in fact those who experience the highest levels of churn.鈥 The report cited modelling from EPI that reversing real-terms pupil premium cuts, and introducing a new “persistently disadvantaged” premium would cost 拢640 million a year 鈥 which is below the expected savings from falling pupil numbers. Researchers suggested using this funding to deliver two additional teachers in the 25 per cent most deprived primaries, and four in the most deprived secondaries. 7. Add family working skills to NPQs The report urged the DfE to help educate schools on working with families and local communities, and to include this area of practice in its suite of professional qualifications. 鈥淪chools have the extraordinary power to uplift and empower their local communities,鈥 said the report, while evidence shows building a 鈥渉olistic picture of children and their families鈥 is key to boosting behaviour and attendance and supporting SEN. Yet relationships with schools have become 鈥渇ractured鈥, which the report said is being worsened by the use of penalty notices. Nearly 400,000 fines were issued to parents in 2022-23. Headteachers鈥 standards specify leaders should forge constructive relationships beyond the school. But Teacher Tapp polling found half (55 per cent) of teachers had never received training on how to communicate with parents. 8. National plan to 鈥榬adically improve鈥 mental health support access The government should publish a plan to 鈥渞adically improve鈥 access to children鈥檚 mental health and speech and language support, says the report. Forty thousand children are waiting over two years for mental health support, according to 2024 NHS England figures, while 6,000 children are waiting longer than a year for speech and language therapy. Early intervention services have been slashed by half since 2010, and the number of school nurses has dropped by a third since 2009. 鈥淚mproving support for children requires both dedicated resources and a sustained commitment across services,鈥 it said. A 鈥渟hared outcomes framework鈥 should be developed between health, local government and education with a 鈥渃oncrete plan鈥 to reduce waits by the end of 2025. An inter-ministerial group, chaired by the education secretary, should monitor progress. Renewed investment in these services is also 鈥渆ssential鈥 for the government to meet its goal of 75 per cent of children reaching a good level of development by age five. 9. Ofsted to check schools monitor pupil belonging and lost learning Schools, trusts and government currently collect only 鈥渓imited and patchy鈥 data on inclusion, and are often 鈥渇lying blind鈥, the report said. For instance, school leaders said exclusion figures alone 鈥渉ide the full story鈥, as 鈥渓ess visible鈥 practices such as off-site direction, managed moves or internal inclusion are not published. It said schools and trusts should improve data collection across all types of lost learning 鈥渢o get a full picture of the scale of challenges faced by their pupils and identify the windows for early intervention鈥. Ofsted should also 鈥渇ocus on how schools use data to identify and respond to pupils鈥 needs, particularly those most at risk of losing learning鈥. Inspectors would check how schools 鈥渁ssess belonging, safety and wellbeing鈥 of pupils, and how they respond to lost learning escalations. 10. All pupils movements should be equally accountable The report said that for every excluded pupil, 10 more are 鈥渕oved around the school system鈥 by more 鈥渉idden鈥 practices, such as managed moves. Researchers said the DfE should introduce legislation that provides oversight of pupil movements off-site and off-roll. 鈥淲hen responsibility for a child changes hands, this creates gaps in oversight and safeguarding, which can have serious consequences for vulnerable children,鈥 it said. Repeated movements had been found to increase vulnerability and a child鈥檚 鈥渟ense of鈥eparation from community鈥. It welcomed the DfE鈥檚 steps in the children鈥檚 wellbeing and schools bill to address this, but urged government to 鈥済o further yet鈥 by 鈥渋ntroducing an amendment that requires oversight of all pupil movements off site and off roll鈥. For instance, requiring schools to report such moves to DfE, as they do with suspensions. Or giving councils powers to oversee all moves.