There’s no place for average results when it comes to achieving social mobility

It is not enough to think that being the same as other children will give them an equal chance. We must better equip them to navigate the minefield of disadvantage and inequality. We cannot and must not be happy with average - that’s just mean (pun intended). What’s more, it just won’t work. Little difference will be made, and it runs the risk of building up our children now only to ‘fail’ later.

What has prompted this blog? I have been having conversations recently with peers and funders about what good performance looks like in social mobility and raising children’s outcomes. I started to hear a voice that seemed satisfied that outcomes were achieved if results were on national average – a feeling ‘the job was done’. I stated to identify a desire to move on to the next ‘problem’. My blood starting pumping at the thought of it. Here’s why.

A lot is said about people’s aims and good intentions around social mobility these days. It is great that 40 years after a wonderful raft of equalities legislation, concrete actions continue to be taken with such good intentions. But many are missing the point if we don’t all properly acknowledge the multiple factors that prevent social mobility and facilitate inequality. We all need to understand how these really reinforce disadvantage and inequality. Being average simply doesn’t cut it when it comes to competing against more advantaged peers. The next generation of disadvantaged children and young people instead need to be brilliant to be anywhere near to standing an equal chance.

The Social Mobility Commission report State of the Nation 2018/19 offers a useful list of factors, which I have summarised here: