The Education Policy Institute partnered with Teach First to hold a research report launch on: ‘Transforming outcomes by 2040 – what is needed to support pupils experiencing persistent disadvantage?’
Persistently disadvantaged pupils (who have been eligible for FSM for at least 80% of their time in school) face substantially worse outcomes than their peers. By the time they reach their GCSEs, those pupils are, on average, nearly two years of learning behind. That is thousands of pupils being left behind each year, putting their futures at risk.
The Government’s schools white paper has acknowledged the stubbornness of the gap and proposed reforms to deprivation funding based on household income, rather than the binary indicator of whether a child receives free school meals. Thousands of children spend at least 80% of their school lives growing up in poverty, profoundly impacting their ability to engage and achieve in school. Yet the cumulative impact of years spent in poverty is not currently acknowledged in education policy. EPI research highlighted that the school funding system does not distinguish between different levels of disadvantage, with recommendations on how to target funding towards this group.
Without targeted action, it is unlikely that the aim to halve the attainment gap by 2040 will be met. With the Government currently reviewing how disadvantage in education is defined, this is a crucial moment to deepen our understanding of persistent disadvantage.
In this context, Teach First – which exists to close the attainment gap – commissioned new research from the Education Policy Institute (EPI) to build a clearer picture of persistently disadvantaged pupils in England: who they are; where they are located; and how they are performing across the system. At a time of rising child poverty and increased pressures on schools, it’s crucial to identify what interventions are needed to ensure these pupils can succeed.
This event brought together politicians, policymakers, school leaders and sector experts to explore the findings of this research, to consider how proposed system changes can improve outcomes for persistently disadvantaged pupils and, importantly, the implications for future policy.
Partner with us
This was an invitation-only event as part of the Education Policy Institute’s partnership programme. To discuss running an event with EPI, please contact Tim Archer (tim.archer@epi.org.uk) or Adam Richards-Gray (adam.richards-gray@epi.org.uk) – or you can find out more about wider partnership opportunities here
