1/ I am setting out my response to @annelongfield's final speech as @ChildrensComm.

More than any other event in my time, Covid-19 has laid bare the damning truth about our educational divide.

2/ It has exposed how many children lack basic digital access – standard fare these days for a shot at a decent future, as the world marches headlong into the fourth industrial revolution.

But it has also exposed far, far more.

3/ ‘Generation Covid’ now faces a torrid barrage of lost learning and a new frontier of vulnerabilities.

Particularly for disadvantaged pupils. School closures could reverse the progress made in closing the gap since 2011.

4/ So how can we support them as we emerge from lockdown?

The Government is to be commended for its pursuit of higher standards.

However, progress has ground to a screeching halt - and that was before the pandemic.

5/ A rigorous curriculum & traditional methods of behaviour management alone can only get us so far. They aren't going to deal with the complex challenges that exist in some children’s lives.

6/ There are no Houdini acts when it comes to escaping the worst ravages of educational failure.

So what is required is thinking outside-the-box.

To make real headway, it will be essential to address why some groups underperform.

7/ First, children need a better start.

40% of the disadvantage gap at age 16 has already emerged by the time children start primary school.

We can be radical without a revolution.

8/ Family hubs provide cradle-to-career support for the whole family unit.

The Government championed family hubs in its manifesto. But it has set aside £2.5 million for further research. Yet again, DfE money is going to think tanks, which could be spent on frontline services.

9/ Ministers need to get on and deliver.

We must also ensure all children receive health visits. Around 20% of children are not even receiving the five visits offered.

They are priceless touch-points.

10/ Second, we need answers for those children already at school – whose prospects now look grim unless significant remedial action is taken.

Upon their return to school, every pupil must be urgently assessed as to the extent of lost learning and how much catch-up is needed.

11/ But catch-up is not just about algebra and Shakespeare.

1 in 3 primary school aged pupils are overweight or obese. And children’s mental health has become dangerously fragile.

12/ Extending the school day - to encompass physical activity, mental health support, as well as academic tuition - would support their broader recovery.

All this could be supported by local community groups, education charities, other schools and universities.

13/ If we are really serious about tackling the unfurling mental health crisis, practitioners should be stationed in every school, available online and in person.

14/ Third, better use can be made of existing schemes to help with catch-up.

Take the pupil premium.

The current formula is far too clunky.

Let’s refocus the premium so it is more heavily weighted towards the long-term disadvantaged.

15/ Opportunity Areas, too, need a serious rethink.

Some £96 million is spent on them - though their impact is far from conclusive.

16/ This money would be better spent on boosting teaching quality in our most disadvantaged areas, achieved by incentivising highly commended initial teacher training providers to work with disadvantaged schools.

17/ And teaching bursaries, retention payments and salary bonuses to good teachers in challenging areas could be introduced, to avoid flight of local talent.

18/ @annelongfield has been a champion for children and families across the country.

And if I say one last thing, every family in the country would be comforted knowing that Anne was on their side.

19/ I hope that as we move forward, we will continue her work to address social injustice in education and provide a real ladder of opportunity for every child, whatever their background or disadvantage, in the ways I have highlighted: