Pupils in schools serving the most disadvantaged communities may be twice as likely as their richer counterparts to have fallen behind as a result of the Covid pandemic, new research shows.

The survey, from Teach First, shows that a third of teachers at schools with the poorest pupils believe most of their children are behind in their attainment compared with this point in a normal year. This compares with just 15 per cent of teachers at schools with the most affluent pupils.

And 62 per cent of teachers at schools with the poorest pupils said the greatest barrier to engaging in long-term planning was “addressing the immediate gaps in pupil knowledge”, compared with 51 per cent of teachers at schools with the most affluent pupils.

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Teach First chief executive Russell Hobby said: “The pandemic has widened gaps between the advantaged and disadvantaged. We need to tackle that, but we also need to ask why those gaps existed in the first place.

Covid and schools: Building a fairer education system

“The best way we can build a fair education system is by getting to root causes. This is a chance to do things differently - to reform as we recover.

“While these findings are deeply worrying, we strongly believe that by creating the right environment for schools, teachers and pupils to thrive, no child need be held back as a result of the pandemic. If we want our country and economy to bounce back, we must unlock the talent, ideas and skills of every single young person. “

Other findings of the survey include:

• 45 per cent of teachers would like increased national attention on the attainment gap to remain.
• 43 per cent of all teachers would like to see the increased use of technology remain.
• 46 per cent would like the option of remote working (at least some of the time).

When asked what would make the most difference to support students in the future:

• 61 per cent said “funding and access to social and mental health services”.
• 42 per cent said all households having access to wi-fi and digital devices.
• 39 per cent said “teacher and leader development”.
• 54 per cent said funding to reduce teachers’ timetabled hours.

The survey comes as Teach First seeks the views of teachers and school leaders on its proposed manifesto, which sets out draft recommendations on what action it believes needs to be taken to ensure that “every child has the chance to thrive in a post-pandemic world”.

Proposals include “a minimum five-year targeted increase” in funding for schools serving disadvantaged communities, as well as increased support and development for aspiring school leaders from underrepresented backgrounds.

It is also calling for mental health and social services around schools to be sufficiently funded, and for every household and pupil to have access to the internet and a digital device.

The Department for Education has been contacted for comment