Association of School
and College Leaders
Responding to research published by the Education Policy
Institute (EPI) showing that the attainment gap between poorer
pupils and their peers has widened across all educational phases
since 2019, Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of
School and College Leaders, said:
“The widening of the disadvantage gap is desperately sad but not
unexpected. We and others repeatedly warned that the impact of
the pandemic was uneven and that disadvantaged children were
falling further behind. But ministers failed to respond with an
education recovery plan on the scale that was necessary to meet
this challenge.
“Schools and colleges have done everything possible to support
these children before, during and after the pandemic. But they
have had to do so despite inadequate education funding, teacher
shortages and a cost-of-living crisis over the past two years
which has hit disadvantaged pupils the hardest once again.
“The government had an opportunity in the recent autumn statement
to put at least some of this right by making a commitment to
greater investment in education and the education workforce. But
it barely mentioned schools and colleges at all and has left them
facing worsening financial pressures and a deepening recruitment
and retention crisis.
“Ministers must act on the EPI’s findings and look seriously at
the specific recommendations in this report. In particular, the
recommendation for a student premium in 16-19 education to
support disadvantaged young people is vital in improving their
prospects for higher education, apprenticeships and employment.”
National Education
Union
Commenting on the second and final instalment of the Education
Policy Institute’s 2023 Annual Report, which focusses in
particular on the attainment gap for students
in 16-19 education, Daniel Kebede, General Secretary
of the National Education Union, said:
"Thirteen years of Conservative rule equate to thirteen
disastrous years in education policy. A culture of short-termism
and short-sightedness, much of it driven by an unwillingness to
listen to the profession, has taken a significant toll on the
prospects for young people who have grown up during this
era.
"Education should be about levelling the playing field for every
child regardless of their background to ensure they get an equal
chance in life. Yet as this report from the EPI clearly shows,
the situation for students from disadvantaged backgrounds is
worsening, and the decimation of services makes the dream of a
level playing field all the more distant. A lack of rented
or social housing undermines life chances. Schools and colleges
see the impact this has on their students every day, where they
arrive hungry, tired or with unsuitable clothing and shoes for
the weather. The unfair and relentless poverty trap faced by so
many young people, clearly makes learning harder.
"Schools and colleges do all they can to support those students
who are most in need but a teacher recruitment and retention
crisis alongside inadequate funding and support services make
this task all the harder. The National Funding Formula has
siphoned money away from the areas in greatest need meaning the
poorest bear the greatest burden.
"It is evident that the removal of the Educational Maintenance
Allowance was a critical blow for 16-19 students, and the need
for its reinstatement is obvious. Too many disadvantaged students
are now having to work increased hours on top of school
work to make ends meet and this will inevitably have an
effect on their attainment.
"Right now, 4.2 million children in the UK are growing up in
poverty. The cost-of-living crisis alongside Government policies
such as the two-child benefit cap have plunged the
equivalent of 9 children in every class of 30 into poverty.
"Reducing child poverty must be at the centre of any credible
plan to deliver good educational and life outcomes for more young
people.’’
