New research by EPI investigates the drivers of the disadvantage
gap and calls on the government to address the underlying causes
of school absences, as it identifies higher levels of absence to
be a key factor in the attainment gap between disadvantaged
pupils and their peers.
Specifically, the report finds that:
-
Pupil absence is a key, and growing, driver of the
disadvantage gap. If disadvantaged pupils had the same
level of absence as their peers in 2023, the attainment gap at
age 11 (of 10.1 months) would have been almost one month
smaller and the gap at age 16 (of 18.6 months) would have been
over four months smaller.
- The growth in the disadvantage gap at age 16 by 0.5 months
since 2019 (to 18.6 months in 2023) can be entirely
explained by higher levels of absence for disadvantaged
pupils.
- At each key stage, more than half of the gap is
explained by the size of the gap in earlier phases. Our
analysis finds that by age 7, nearly 60% of the gap at age 11 has
already developed.
-
Disadvantaged students fall even further behind when
they attend schools and colleges with lower-attaining
intakes – this peer effect adds over 1 month to the
GCSE gap in 2023, and a third of a grade to the 16-19 gap.
-
The attainment gap is widening for the youngest pupils
with special educational needs, with pupils on SEN
support in reception year falling 0.7 months behind their peers
between 2019 and 2023.
-
The gender gap for GCSE students has narrowed
during this period as boys are catching up, but this also
reflects slower progress of girls during secondary schools.
- The 16-19 disadvantage gap has changed little since 2019 but
disadvantaged students have become less likely to
continue education after the end of key stage 4.
The report recommends that:
- The government should prioritise early intervention to
improve school readiness and reduce gaps throughout schooling, by
increasing the early years pupil premium to
match the pupil premium in later years, ensuring a high
quality workforce and improving childcare
accessibility for disadvantaged children in
particular.
- As part of wider SEND reforms, the government should
prioritise training in child development and different types of
SEND, making it a mandatory part of initial teacher
training and early career development.
- The government should develop a new absence
strategy which addresses its root causes and includes
improved SEND identification, better mental health support in and
outside of schools, and fostering pupils' sense of school
belonging.
- The government should introduce a student premium in
the 16-19 phase, similar to the pupil premium at key
stage 4.
- The government is due to publish its Child Poverty Strategy
in Spring 2025. This should specifically consider
centralising auto-enrolment for free school
meals to ensure wider coverage, as well as
abolishing the Two-Child Limit and the benefits
cap.
- Given the need to reduce segregation in the education system,
school admissions should be reformed to level
the playing field for disadvantaged pupils and better
information, advice and guidance should be provided to
support high-attaining disadvantaged students in particular.
Emily Hunt, Associate Director of Social Mobility and
Vulnerable Learners at EPI said:
“The widening of the disadvantage gap in the wake of the pandemic
feels a familiar story by now but our research provides new
insights on what has been driving this. For the first time, we
have shown that high and increasing levels of absence among
disadvantaged pupils are the primary reason why the disadvantage
gap has grown since 2019 and that the government won't tackle the
gap unless it gets to grips with the complex root causes of
absence.
“Our research also highlights the reality of failing to intervene
early enough in a child's life, with prior attainment explaining
half or more of the gap at each phase and confirmation that the
youngest children with SEND have been some of the worst impacted
post-pandemic.”
Natalie Perera, Chief Executive of EPI said:
“Today's report casts a harsh light on the impact of
under-investment in education and wider children's services. A
lack of early intervention and the inability of many families to
access adequate SEND and mental health support for their children
have led to an unacceptable and unnecessary widening of
inequalities.
“The government must prioritise tackling the root causes of these
inequalities through the forthcoming spending review and child
poverty strategy. Every child has the right to access education
yet, as today's report finds, too many disadvantaged children are
facing barriers to access and that is having a clear and
detrimental effect on their outcomes."
Background
In this report the Education Policy Institute (EPI) provides an
in-depth assessment of educational inequalities in England
comparing the pre- and post-pandemic periods across all
compulsory phases of education, and considers:
- How disadvantage gaps and attainment gaps for other
vulnerable groups have changed between 2019 to 2023;
- Whether disadvantaged or other vulnerable groups have lost
out compared to their peers over this period, after adjusting for
other factors affecting attainment; and
- How different factors have contributed towards the size of
the disadvantage gap in 2023, including student characteristics,
absences and institutional effects.
In the context of pupil absence rising to unprecedented levels in
the aftermath of the pandemic and remaining one of the biggest
challenges facing the education system, this is the first report,
to our knowledge, that has quantified the role of pupil absence
as a driver of the 2023 disadvantage gap and how this has changed
since 2019.
