The attainment gap between disadvantaged children and their peers has seen ‘virtually no change’ in the last 20 years, according to the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS).
Researchers added that this gap is likely to increase following the long-term effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, which they project will hit the attainment of poorer primary school children twice as hard as those who are better off.
Other findings included:
- Just 57 per cent of English children eligible for free school meals reached a good level of development at the end of Reception in 2019, compared with 74 per cent of their better-off peers.
- Less than half of disadvantaged children reached expected levels of attainment at the end of primary school, versus nearly 70 per cent of those who were better off.
- Of those who did achieve at the expected level, just 40 per cent of disadvantaged pupils went on to earn good GCSEs in English and maths, versus 60 per cent of better-off students.
The report also found that ten years after GCSEs, more than 70 per cent of those who went to private school graduated from university, compared with just under half of those from the richest fifth of families at state schools, and fewer than 20 per cent of those from the poorest fifth of families.
Meanwhile, the report found the gap between resourcing for private school children and those at state schools doubled in ten years.
Imran Tahir, research economist at IFS and one of the authors of the report, said, ‘We can’t expect the education system to overcome all the differences between children from different family backgrounds. But the English system could do a lot better. School funding has become less progressive over time, and the resource gap between the state sector and independent schools is widening. Teaching in more disadvantaged schools is less good: while virtually all schools serving the most affluent had ‘outstanding’ or ‘good’ teaching, nearly a quarter of schools serving the most disadvantaged had teaching that ‘requires improvement’ or is ‘inadequate’.
‘Among pupils who are behind expectations at the end of primary school, fewer than one in ten goes on to earn good GCSEs in English and maths – meaning that we bake in failure from an early age. And the fall-out from the Covid-19 pandemic has moved us in the wrong direction, lowering attainment and widening inequalities. If the government is to meet its mission to have 90 per cent of pupils attaining the expected level at the end of primary school, it needs to prioritise the education system and especially the disadvantaged pupils within it.’
Josh Hillman, director of education at the Nuffield Foundation added, ‘This comprehensive account of educational inequalities in the UK demonstrates the lifelong impact that the disadvantage gap can have on people’s life chances. The evidence on how difficult it is for children to catch up if they fall behind in school is particularly worrying given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. If we are to address educational opportunities it is crucial that any reform of the system considers all phases of education and that it addresses the socio-economic factors that lead to disadvantage.’
Dr Eunice Lumsden, head of childhood, youth and families at the University of Northampton, said, ‘This report is so painful to read. Despite ongoing investment and hard work by so many, we are failing in our responsibilities to infants, children and young people.
‘Given all the current challenges in our society, this situation will not improve until we provide sustained support to families that really tackle the structural, health and education inequalities that permeate our society.’
Read the report here
