Social mobility white paper will have education focus

News of the government's plans to improve the chances of people from disadvantaged backgrounds comes in the wake of a new report by the Liberal Democrats, which calls for more focus on the most deprived groups in England.

The report was produced by the Social Mobility Commission, set up by Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg, and chaired by Martin Narey, chief executive of children's charity Barnardo's. Other members of the commission include key figures from leading children's charities, action groups and trade unions.

Narey said: "As we face the challenge of the present economic downturn, there are those who argue that we cannot afford more investment to give disadvantaged children more equal life chances. This commission argues that we can't afford not to."

The commission have suggested that, despite large investments in education, children's chances of success in life are still mostly dependent on their background and the earnings of their parents. The report makes a number of recommendations, such as a sustained investment in early years, and the targeting of resources towards schools with the highest proportion of disadvantaged children.

A spokeswoman for the cabinet office said the white paper, which will be published at 10am today, will focus heavily on career advancement, education and early years.