According to the Education Policy Institute’s annual report on the state of education in England, which focuses on changes in pupil attainment between 2019 and 2023, disadvantaged pupils are now over 19 months behind their peers by the time they sit their GCSEs, with the gap having increased at ages five, 11 and 16.
Looking at the early years specifically, the research shows that the disadvantage gap increased by 10 per cent between 2019 and 2023.
It also reveals that the attainment gap has widened among Reception-aged pupils with SEND, to its widest on record for those children on SEND support and with EHCPs.
Other findings include:
- Girls continue to outperform boys across all ages, however gender gaps at age 11 and 16 have narrowed in recent years, partly driven by the falling attainment of girls.
- There has been a ‘significant’ narrowing of the gap since 2019 for pupils with English as an additional language (EAL) who arrived late to the state school system.
- Attainment gaps have narrowed since 2019 for older pupils with SEND.
- With the exception of London, the disadvantage gap has grown across all regions in England by the end of secondary school, stressing the need for the Government to look closely at tackling regional inequalities.
'We are seeing worrying trends for children just starting school'.
Emily Hunt, associate director for social mobility and vulnerable learners at the Education Policy Institute (EPI), said, ‘Concerningly, not only are disadvantage gaps for 11- and 16-year-olds at their widest levels since 2011, we are seeing worrying trends for children just starting school. That gaps at age five are widening across disadvantaged and vulnerable groups – as well as being at record levels for children with SEND – highlights the scale and breadth of challenges facing schools and the importance of the earliest years of life.’
Recommendations for change
The report proposes several ways the Government can tackle inequalities in education:
- A renewed strategy for closing gaps, which should clarify the government’s level of ambition regarding educational inequalities, assess the effectiveness of existing policies aimed at reducing disadvantage, and set out a pathway to implementation based on the best available evidence.
- Higher levels of targeted funding for disadvantaged pupils and students.
- A cross-Government child poverty strategy, which recognises that the social determinants of educational inequalities – such as poverty, housing, healthcare, transport and many other aspects of daily life – cannot be addressed by schools in isolation or even any one Government department.
- More effective support for children with SEND.
- More research on gender gaps to better understand the declining attainment of girls and whether this is related to the recent large increases in poor mental health for teenage girls.
'The Government must adopt evidence-based policies with urgency'.
Natalie Perera, chief executive of the Education Policy Institute (EPI), commented, ‘If the new Government is to make real progress in tackling these inequalities it must adopt evidence-based policies and interventions with urgency. These should include higher levels of funding targeted towards disadvantaged pupils and a cross-government child poverty strategy to tackle the root causes of educational inequalities.
‘In the coming weeks and months, EPI will set out further details on these possible interventions in upcoming reports, including our proposal for a ‘student premium’ in 16-19 education.’
Responding to the findings, the Early Years Alliance called on the Government to make equality of access to the expanded entitlement a priority, including reviewing the eligibility criteria.
