Ten years ago, Ofsted published an influential report, Access and Achievement in Urban Education, based on 134 visits to schools, and youth and adult provision in Bristol, Derby, Kingston-upon-Hull, Manchester, Slough, Thamesmead and Thurrock.
It painted a bleak picture of the quality of education received by the overwhelming majority of children and young people. Their achievement was not good enough; the cycle of underachievement in many schools was replicated at home and in the wider community; and the chain of educational provision was weak in its links across the age groups.
A decade on, have the educational experiences and achievements of those growing up in the most disadvantaged urban areas improved? The evidence leads me to say that there has been improvement, but not enough. We must look again, urgently, at how to close the gap in achievement between youngsters in the most deprived areas and elsewhere.
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