MPs are calling for an investigation into a lack of school work during lockdown, claiming it is close to a “national educational disaster”.

Education minister Nick Gibb told parliament today that the effects of coronavirus would be felt “for a considerable time” but that the government was focused on tackling the lost time in education.

He told MPs that no child should have their life chances damaged by the coronavirus outbreak.

However, Conservative MP Christian Wakeford (Bury South) claimed that with most children having spent the past few months at home more, than two million of these had completed “barely any school work” in that time.

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Speaking in a debate on education, Mr Wakeford said that a six-month learning loss for pupils was an “eternity”.

He told MPs: “This is close to being a national educational disaster.

“Clearly something has gone wrong and we must examine why. Whilst many schools have done remarkable work, others have not been able to provide the same offer for one reason or another, and this, too, needs to be investigated why.”

Mr Wakeford, who was speaking on behalf of the Commons education committee, said Ofsted should have taken a leading role in outlining expectations during this period.

He went on: “Ofsted seems to have taken a badger approach by reducing their activity and hibernating during these difficult months.”

Mr Gibb said the government’s ambition is to provide “equality of opportunity for every child” as pupils return to school full time in September, but that “no one should underestimate the scale of the challenge” that the closure of schools in March had provided.

“Education recovery lies at the heart of our national mission as we emerge from the disruption caused from the coronavirus pandemic and no child should see their life chances damaged by being out of school for so long,” the schools minister said.

“Our ambition is to provide equality of opportunity for every child and to support parents and carers,” he told MPs.

Mr Gibb added: “Since 2010, most children are now attending good and outstanding schools, the attainment gap between the disadvantaged and their peers has narrowed at all stages, a record proportion of disadvantaged students are going to university, we have a world-class curriculum and ambitions for world-class technical education.

“The effects of the current epidemic will be felt across society for a considerable time.

“It was right that we moved rapidly to secure a massive one-off investment in our schools to tackle both lost time in education and foster greater focus on proven approaches so that all pupils can receive the education they have a right to expect.”

The government also faced calls to extend the department’s catch-up funding to 16- to 18-year-old students.

Tory MP Peter Aldous (Waveney) said: “It is a concern that 16- to 18-year-olds are not able to access the Covid catch-up fund.”

He added: “At present, there is no funding for this.

“To address this unfairness, to remove this obstacle, it is important that before the end of term Government confirms that all 16 to 18 providers can access Covid catch-up funding on the same terms as 11- to 16-year-olds.”