A long division: Closing the attainment gap in England's secondary schools
Article
Pupils from deprived areas are about as likely to attend a school rated 'satisfactory' or 'inadequate' as wealthier pupils are likely to attend a school rated 'outstanding'. It is therefore vitally important to improve the quality of schools in England.
But this report shows the government cannot rely on school improvement policies, such as academies and free schools, to narrow the education divide that exists between rich and poor pupils. Even if every pupil in the country attended an outstanding school, the achievement gap between the poorest and wealthiest pupils would only be cut by a fifth. If the education divide is to be closed, we need more focus on interventions such as one-to-one tuition and preschool programmes.
The report examines how the education system in England compares with other countries, including Finland, Canada and Korea. It finds that a large number of very low achievers is holding England back from becoming a world class system. In the world's leading systems 1 in 10 pupils fail to reach basic proficiency in reading. In England that figure is twice as high.
The report recommends a number of measures to reduce the attainment gap and promote both equity and excellence in the education system.
The report provides new data analysis on:
- How much of the achievement gap is a result of what happens at secondary school
- Whether 'school improvement' policies can narrow the attainment gap
- What impact the Pupil Premium and other targeted interventions will have on the attainment gap
- How the attainment gap can be closed using a whole-system approach
Related items
Taken to heart: Inequalities in heart disease in Scotland
More than 7.6 million people across the UK live with cardiovascular disease (CVD), around twice as many as live with Alzheimer’s disease and cancer combined.Skills passports: An essential part of a fair transition
This month, government will publish its Clean Energy Workforce Strategy. This plan covers two aims. First, filling the growing demand for skills in clean energy industries is essential to keep on track to reach the government’s clean power…Fixing the leak: How to end the £22 billion annual taxpayer losses at the Bank of England
The Bank of England increased its interest rates over recent years, aimed at reducing inflation. But this has also had an unintended effect on the Bank of England’s massive government bond buying – ‘quantitative easing’ – programme.