By the age of 16, attainment among London’s most
disadvantaged young people lags an average of 12 months behind
their more advantaged
peers.[2]
The gap in educational achievement between
disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils urgently needs to be
closed.
London enrols a much higher proportion of pupils from
disadvantaged backgrounds than the English
average. Around one fifth of
pupils in London are eligible for free school meals (FSM), which
is used as a proxy for
poverty. [3] Research
shows that children eligible for FSM do not do as well as those
who do not receive FSM.[4]
The London Assembly Education
Panel has today written to the
Mayor to support and encourage the development of a more
inclusive education system that addresses the inequality in
outcomes and educational attainment for pupils across
London.
Key findings of the investigation
include:
-
The financial pressures on London schools in
providing places, as well
as deliver support for students
with SEND is expected to
increase.
-
Support
for families with low incomes should include access to
affordable and accessible childcare.
-
Sharing information to identify vulnerable pupils
and support their transition from primary to secondary, and
then post 16, is crucial in tackling these
inequalities.
-
The teacher labour market faces a severe challenge
over the next decade, in regards to supply, retention and
mobility in the capital.
Recommendations to the Mayor include:
-
Enable local authorities to better plan for school
places and more control over decision making in where schools
are opened.
-
The Mayor should lobby the Department for Education
for further funding to meet London’s unique education needs, by
March 2020.
-
Findings from the Early Years Hub pilot should be
shared to see if it is working effectively after the pilot ends
in December 2020.
-
The Mayor should give a commitment to ensuring
there is a robust information and intelligence framework
between schools, local councils and other education
stakeholders to deliver better safeguarding services by March
2020.
-
The Mayor should do more to encourage the
recruitment and retention of teachers by building on existing
programmes to provide affordable housing for
teachers.
Chair of the London Assembly Education Panel,
OBE
AM said:
“High and rising educational inequality is a
pressing economical and societal concern in the capital. Our
findings have made it clear that educational attainment is a key
factor in determining career prospects, poverty risk and
promoting social mobility.
“Access to early years plays an important role
and the Mayor can do more to support parents with low incomes and
make it easier to access free early years education. Every child
should be able to rise above their birth
circumstances.
“Another pressing concern for us has been the
substantial rise in the demand for places for pupils with special
educational needs and the Mayor needs to
address London’s
challenges in SEND provision.”
Notes for
Editors:
