Damning inequality report calls for targeted pupil support

An Anatomy of Economic Inequality in the UK has been produced for the government by the independent National Equality Panel, which is chaired by London School of Economics Professor John Hills. It shows widespread inequality across class, ethnic background, sexuality and age.

The report says that the gap between rich and poor is now wider than it was 40 years ago.

White British pupils with average or below average grades are far less likely to go on to higher education than classmates from other ethnic groups with similar grades. Boys from Pakistani, black African and black Caribbean backgrounds continue to achieve lower grades on average than other pupils.

Despite girls having better grades than boys and being more likely to go on to higher education, women’s average hourly pay is still 21 per cent less than men’s.

Young people in the job market are now worse off in terms of income than they were 10 years ago, the report also found.

The report calls for targeted interventions and support at 16 points in a person’s life from early years to pension age.

This includes focusing support on improving attainment levels and further education opportunities for pupils, particularly boys from white British and black Caribbean backgrounds and those from deprived areas.

Professor Hills said: "Most people and nearly all political parties subscribe to the ideal of equality of opportunity. But advantage and disadvantage reinforce themselves over the life cycle. It is hard to argue that the large and systematic differences in outcomes which we document result from personal choices."