22nd November 2016 1:00
By Blue Tutors
The impact of socioeconomic background on education has been long established, but new data from a study conducted by the Ambition School Leadership charity shows that the effects are more pronounced than previously thought, leaving students from the poorest families almost two academic years behind.
The study compared the most disadvantaged pupils in "opportunity areas", which were designated in October for extra help by the government, to pupils elsewhere. They found that by GCSE level, students with a “persistent disadvantage”, eligible for free schools meals at least four of the last five years, were 20.1 months behind students in other areas who do not receive free school meals. This is compared with those who are not on free school meals in the same area who were also 4.7 months behind the rest of England.
More worrying, perhaps, than this result is the trend behind it, with the gap increasing year on year since 2010. The lag for non-disadvantaged pupils in these areas has increased by 3.6 months and there is a staggering rise of 8.3 months each year for persistently disadvantaged students
The designation of opportunity areas, currently comprising Norwich, Blackpool, Derby, Oldham, Scarborough and West Somerset, is a way for the government to deliver targeted support to the areas that are “most challenged” when it comes to social mobility. These areas receive £60m extra funding in order to promote social mobility through initiatives like linking schools to local businesses, universities and career advisors.
The charity who commissioned the report have focussed on school leadership in these areas as a key factor. Their CEO said "We know great leaders at all levels make great schools. We're going to be working even harder to reach these schools and give the children they serve a great education." The report concluded that without excellent teachers and support for those teachers, the socioeconomic disadvantage will continue to become increasingly entrenched in these areas where poverty and poor educational outcomes feed into and aggravate each other across generations.