Attainment gap between poorest pupils widens since 2007, report finds
3 min read
The most disadvantaged children have fallen further behind their peers in the last ten years, a new report has found.
The Education Policy Institute (EPI) said the poorest pupils in England’s schools – defined as those who received free school meals for 80% of their time at secondary school – were now two years of learning behind other children by the end of their education.
The gap between the wider cohort of disadvantaged pupils, who have received free school meals at some point, has closed by three months but, on current trends, would not be eliminated for another 50 years.
Disadvantaged pupils left school 21.9 months behind their peers, compared to 18.9 months in 2007.
There were also large regional variations identified by the EPI, with areas in London performing better than other parts of England.
Labour said the findings were “no surprise”.
“If you cut school budgets and push out teachers, as the Tories have done, then life in school will become even harder for the most disadvantaged kids,” said Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner.
“It is no wonder that we are still generations away from closing the attainment gap.
“The Tories’ key election pledge was to bring back grammar schools and segregate our children, a move that would make the situation even worse.
“A Labour government would deliver an education system for the many, not the few.”
The Department for Education highlighted the role of the pupil premium in securing additional funding for disadvantaged children.
“We are determined to ensure that all children, regardless of their background, get the excellent education they deserve,” a spokesperson said.
NASUWT general secretary Chris Keates blamed government policies for the gap: “Factors which are common among pupils who are falling behind their peers include child poverty, insecure housing, poor physical and mental health among families and job insecurity. These have all seen an increase as a result of the Government's austerity programme and reforms to welfare.
“Schools are striving to do the best for every child they teach, but schools alone cannot tackle these social issues and plug the gap made by cuts to wider services and basic support on which many families rely and which help to provide children with the stability they need in order to focus on their learning and achieve at school.”
Gareth Jenkins, Save the Children’s Director of UK Policy, said: “Today’s report hammers home once again the persistent and unacceptable divide between how poor children and their wealthier classmates fare in the classroom.
“Save the Children has long called for more funding and support for children’s growth and development in their early years, before they even start school. That’s because we know that if children start school behind, they stay behind, and it’s the poorest children that are most likely to be held back. Half of disadvantaged children lack the crucial skills needed to succeed when they start their first day of school.
“High quality childcare can make all the difference. Children who go to a nursery with an early years teacher are almost 10% more likely to be ready to learn when they start primary school.
“If the government is serious about giving all children the best start in life, they must improve the quality of childcare, giving all children the benefit of an early years teacher, regardless of their background.”
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