ATL comment on the Social Mobility Commission research report

Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), said: “This deeply upsetting Social Mobility Commission research shows that the Government continues to fail large numbers of children by ignoring the effect of poverty on their educational attainment.

“The report tells us nothing new – the persistently strong link between poverty and low educational attainment is well documented over many years. What is shocking however, is the fact that the Government is prepared to do nothing about this and, last year it even took the regressive step of scrapping the Child Poverty Targets and Child Poverty Unit established under the Labour Government.

“The Social Mobility Commission report highlights the fact that reduced funding is making it even more difficult for schools to intervene and support low income students when they show signs of not achieving their potential. This will only get worse as schools face real term funding cuts for the first time in a generation.”