Results from the Sats show that overall standards in reading, writing, and arithmetic have declined among Year 6 students in England since the epidemic.
In these combined sectors, they reveal that 59 percent of students reached the targeted level this year, down from 65 percent in 2019.
In 2020 and 2021, the national curriculum exams were shelved.
The results of the Sats were "anticipated owing to the effect of the pandemic," according to the government, and there is "additional work to do" to assist students in catching up.
It aims for 90% of primary school-age students to meet the required skills in reading, writing, and arithmetic by 2030.
To reach that goal, unions have urged for more funding for educational institutions and teaching personnel.
The majority of the 11-year-old students who took the Sats this summer were in the second half of Year 4 when most schools initially closed to students in March 2020.
When they were in Year 5, more school closings occurred. At the start of Year 6, several students also saw disruptions because of Covid.
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Individual topic results indicate that reading proficiency levels climbed somewhat, with 74% of students now attaining the required threshold, up from 73% in 2019.
However, since 2019 the percentage of students achieving the required level in all other disciplines has decreased:
- 71 percent in arithmetic (down from 79 percent),
- 69 percent in writing (down from 78 percent),
- and 72 percent in grammar, punctuation, and spelling (down from 78 percent).
In response to this year's results, Robin Walker, the minister responsible for school standards, said: "While disappointing, it was anticipated given the pandemic's effects.
The government is aware of and appreciates the effort teachers around the nation are making to improve education, but it also recognizes that there is still more to be done.
Children falling behind in English and math will "get the necessary evidence-based targeted assistance to bring them back on track," he said, adding that £5 billion had been set aside to assist students in catching up.
The government's recovery budget is significantly below the £15 billion that Sir Kevan Collins, the previous catch-up tsar, and education unions said was necessary.
Following the government's decision to terminate its contract with tutoring provider Randstad, money to organize catch-up tutoring will be given directly to English schools in the next academic year.
"Emotional healing"
According to a research for the government by the Education Policy Institute and Renaissance, the amount of learning interrupted by Covid varies greatly throughout England, and the poorest students have fallen worse behind than the better-off.
The National Association of Head Teachers' general secretary, Paul Whiteman, voiced concern about the Sats results for this year since "certain families and school communities [were] struck considerably worse than others" by the epidemic.
It's crucial to keep in mind that the support systems put in place by schools have also prioritized social and emotional rehabilitation in addition to academic advancement.
The Association of School and College Leaders' general secretary, Geoff Barton, said that the decline in math and writing standards showed "the great significance of direct classroom instruction in these areas - which, of course, has been seriously interrupted."
He said that in order to meet the government's 2030 goals, "significant investment in education and the teaching staff" will be needed.
It is "hard to see how this can possible be done," he said, "under the existing plans."
While school staff have worked hard to lessen the effects of the epidemic, Stephen Morgan, the shadow minister for education for Labour, warned that the government's choice to underfund post-pandemic assistance "threatens to throw a long shadow over opportunity and achievement for children."
