Disadvantaged pupils' attainment 18 months behind peers
Nina Jacobs
Monday, July 29, 2019
Progress to close the gap in GCSE attainment has stalled for the first time in nearly eight years meaning disadvantaged pupils are leaving school more than 18 months behind their well-off peers.
The Education Policy Institute's annual report on the state of education in England shows the trend to close the gap in GCSE attainment has reversed for the first time since 2011.
It increased slightly between 2017 and 2018 by 0.2 months, to 18.1 months.
The research shows a similar picture for the early years with the attainment gap for reception-age pupils also widening by 0.1 months to 4.5 months.
However, the statistics revealed a bleak outlook for the most persistently disadvantaged pupils whose attainment gap narrowed at primary level but widened at secondary school.
This means these pupils - the most disadvantaged young people in the country - are almost two years (22.6 months) behind all other pupils by the time they finish their GCSEs.
Despite the report's finding that there has been no progress in narrowing the disadvantage gap, overall pupil attainment has continued to rise.
This suggests an overall rise in standards does not guarantee a reduction in the disadvantage gap, it concludes.
The EPI research, based on the latest Department for Education data, is an indicator of how the government is performing on social mobility.
It analyses changes in the attainment gap since 2011 and how it varies across the UK.
The investigation shows large disadvantage gaps remain well established in several areas in England but are particularly acute in the north.
Pupils in Rotherham and Blackpool are trailing their peers by more than two years on average by the time they finish their GCSEs.
Whereas London was leading the field with the smallest disadvantage gaps, the report states.
In Westminster, poorer pupils are only 3.9 months behind their peers at GCSE level and 5.3 months behind in Tower Hamlets.
The report highlights areas that have been successful in reducing levels of disadvantage in education since 2012.
These include Bournemouth, which reduced its gap in GCSE attainment by 6.5 months, Richmond upon Thames (5.8 months) and Waltham Forest (4.5 months).
But it pinpoints areas in the north west such as Bury, Halton and Wigan that have seen increases of around five months over the same period of time.
In terms of attainment by different ethnic groups, the report says black Caribbean pupils have experienced poor progress since 2011, slipping a further 2.2 months behind white British pupils.
By contrast, Pakistani pupils have made significant increases since 2011, closing the gap with their white British peers from 3.4 months to 0.5 months by 2018.
Pupils with special educational needs (SEN) remain the furthest behind at 40 months by the end of secondary school.
The report calls on the government to consider whether adequate support is being provided to pupils with SEN ahead of its upcoming Spending Review.
Report author Jo Hutchinson said: "Our research shows that for the first time in several years, the gap between poorer pupils and their peers at GCSE has stopped closing. Trends suggest that this disadvantage gap may now be taking a new direction, where it begins to widen.
"In addition, we find that both black Caribbean children and persistently disadvantaged children - those eligible for free school meals for most of their school lives - are now further behind their peers than they were in 2011.
"There has also been no progress in closing the gap this year for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
"Rising average pupil attainment has not resulted in more equal outcomes for all, and we must be sceptical of rhetoric about social injustices that is not matched by a credible plan and resources."
The Early Years Alliance said it had consistently warned the government of the potential damage to social mobility due to a £662m funding shortfall in early years education.
Neil Leitch, the alliance's chief executive, said: "We already know that childcare providers in deprived areas are twice as likely to close as those in affluent ones - often because poorer parents cannot afford the voluntary extras or private hours that providers are forced to charge to make up for the lack of adequate funding.
"Not only has underfunding plunged the early years sector into crisis, today's report shows how it risks harming the children who most need quality, early years education to keep pace with their more advantaged peers.
Leitch said the report should be a "wake-up call" to the government and an urgent priority for Kemi Badenoch, the new children and families minister.
The Local Government Association said increased investment was needed to tackle a funding gap of around £1.6bn by 2021 faced by councils to support children with special needs.
Antoinette Bramble, chair of the LGA's children and young people board, said: "Councils have an excellent track record in improving schools and need to be given the necessary powers to intervene and support all failing schools, including academies.
"Yet all this good work is at risk if all schools aren't adequately funded, this is why it is essential that the Prime Minister provides sustainable funding during the forthcoming Spending Review."
Gail Tolley, chair of the Association of Directors of Children's Services educational achievement policy committee, said: "Some progress has been made in narrowing the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their more affluent peers in primary school, however, the gap has widened in secondary school.
"There are disparities in attainment between certain ethnic backgrounds with the gap between Black Caribbean pupils and their white British counterparts widening since 2011 and pupils with special educational needs and disabilities remain significantly behind their peers at every stage of their education. These findings are at odds with efforts to improve social mobility and create an inclusive education system.
"Removing barriers to learning matters to directors of children's services because we are responsible for ensuring the local education system works for all children in our local areas, and it should matter to this government too. Properly funding local authorities and schools to meet the wide-ranging needs of children and young people, including the most vulnerable would be a good starting point. Our collective ambition must be to close the gap in attainment as a matter of urgency. Our children should not have to wait 500 years for this."