Urgent need to tackle social mobility 'coldspots', say MPs
Nina Jacobs
Thursday, February 21, 2019
National policy change is urgently needed to tackle social mobility "coldspots" and reverse the geographically unequal impact of austerity cuts, according to a parliamentary report published today.
The all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on social mobility's Closing the Regional Attainment Gap report highlights how children with poor vocabulary at the age of five are more than twice as likely to be unemployed by the time they reach 34.
According to the APPG, the attainment gap between pupils from disadvantaged areas and those from more affluent areas is a key factor behind the coldspots - areas where social mobility is low.
While there are indications that the attainment gap is narrowing over all, there is patchy progress across the country and some areas are being left behind, while London's success pulls it away from the rest of the country.
Highlighting Norfolk, Somerset and Blackpool as among the worst coldspots, the report concludes that coldspots are likely to fall even further behind the rest of the country unless urgent action is taken.
The UK is "still over 40 years away" from closing the gap in relation to disadvantaged five-year-olds and their more advantaged peers.
The report states: "Austerity related policies have had an impact on social mobility, especially with cuts to support services and the impact this has on teachers.
"In deprived areas, problems with pupils' home life frequently spill into the classroom, putting pressure on teachers."
It states: "The challenge of closing the gap must be tackled if disadvantaged young people from all parts of the country are to have the same access to opportunities, both within and outside of education, as those who live in and in close proximity to the capital."
APPG chair, Labour MP Justin Madders, said social background and geography were still "huge influences on educational success", and individual areas had their own set of challenges.
There are no "simple solutions" for resolving regional differences in school achievement, but some suggestions are made.
The MPs recommend national policy change to help funnel cash towards coldspots, as well as better local collaboration.
Local initiatives, the report suggests, could draw on an initiative that has been effective in the capital, called the London Challenge.
This has led to London being "significantly ahead of the rest in raising the attainment of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds".
The report continues: "Breaking the link between social background, geography and educational success will require a combination of big picture thinking and local understanding.
"We would like to see more collaboration between schools, local authorities and universities, harnessing the successes of the London Challenge, and with a focus on social mobility coldspots.
"But equally, we need to see policy change at a national level, such as repurposing the pupil premium into a new ‘social mobility premium', which can be used for professional development and extra support for teachers in deprived areas."
The group calls on the government to build on its teacher recruitment and retention strategy, and deliver on reforms that would reduce teacher stress and workload, particularly for those in more challenging schools.
The report refers to questions remaining "around whether schools were using their funding effectively", as well as "particular issues" around spending of the pupil premium - extra funding targeted at deprivation.
It continues: "Substantial amounts of money are spent on teaching assistants, which evidence indicates may not be an effective use of funds.
"Pupil premium should be better targeted towards measures which have been shown to have an impact."
A recurrent theme flagged during the evidence sessions was how tackling gaps early is "vital" to give young people the best chance of success in life.
"This was a key theme highlighted across our sessions, with issues raised around access to children's centres and ensuring high quality staff in nursery settings," it says.
Funding for children's centres should also be ringfenced "to ensure they are able to reconnect with their original purpose", it adds.
The report proposes offering a more generous financial incentive, combined with a "strong offer of additional professional development" to teachers to encourage them to take up positions in schools in social mobility coldspot areas.
The group investigated differences in school exam results between pupils from disadvantaged areas and their advantaged counterparts, drawing on evidence from former education minister Justine Greening, as well as universities and head teachers.
Data published in the report shows disadvantaged pupils in England are behind their advantaged peers by around half a grade per subject at GCSE.
While poorer pupils in London perform about the same as the average student nationally, disadvantaged pupils in the North East had the lowest scores.
The South East and South West also produced poor performance results for its disadvantaged pupils and, despite its proximity to London, the South East had an attainment gap twice the size of inner London.
There are "serious implications" for children growing up in coldspot areas, but also for the "prosperity of wider society", according to a statement from the APPG.
Research for social mobility charity the Sutton Trust by economics consultancy Oxera has shown that even a modest increase in the UK's social mobility - bringing it into line with average levels across western Europe - would result in an increase in annual GDP of approximately two per cent.
This is the equivalent of £590 per person or £39bn to the UK economy as a whole
Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said the government needed to fund good quality early years education rather than focusing on providing childcare to enable parents to work.
"This report rightly blames the government's austerity agenda - including cuts to support services and children's centres - for limiting the educational potential of disadvantaged young people.
"Schools must be adequately funded and there should be structures that foster collaboration rather than competition between them.
"We also need a high quality and fair inspection system which acknowledges the good work done by schools in challenging circumstances and offers constructive advice on ways to improve.
"Schools in disadvantaged areas find it hard at present to hire teachers and head teachers because of the threat of a negative Ofsted grade," she said, adding: "This government must put a stop to austerity.
"Children should not be going to school hungry and without adequate clothing, and teachers should be able to teach rather than solve the problems of structural poverty caused by recent governments."
The APPG, which worked with educational charity The Sutton Trust to produce the report, ran an inquiry into the regional attainment gap from November 2017 to June 2018 comprising three evidence sessions in parliament and a call for written submissions
