At this year’s Liberal Democrat Party Conference, the Education Policy Institute has partnered with Local Trust to hold a public panel on: ‘Shaping young lives: tackling geographic inequalities at the neighbourhood level.’
The evidence body is increasingly clear that where a child grows up matters; place has an impact on educational and wider outcomes, particularly for the most disadvantaged pupils. EPI’s latest annual report finds starkly disparate disadvantage gaps across areas. Nationally, the disadvantage gap at KS4 was 19.2 months in 2023, whereas in Blackpool, the LA where disadvantaged pupils were furthest behind in 2023, the gap was 27.9 months and in Kensington and Chelsea it was just 3.4 months. Why is this the case? And why is there such variation? Are there conclusions or trends to be understood at the macro level or is it a question of local level policies?
Research from Local Trust highlights the incidence of ‘doubly disadvantaged’ communities, where socioeconomic deprivation has combined with closures of social infrastructure, such as community spaces and youth clubs, to create a double penalty that makes closing the gap even harder. The research shows that people living in these neighbourhoods experience significantly lower attainment, worse health outcomes and fewer employment opportunities, even in comparison to areas with similar levels of deprivation but where a base layer of social infrastructure has been retained. This suggests that understanding hyperlocal factors is key to closing the gap and raises the question: beyond region or constituency, what are the drivers of disadvantage at a neighbourhood or hyperlocal level? And what does this lens offer to help solve them?
This panel will bring together politicians, sector experts and community leaders to consider the role of place in tackling disadvantage gaps and ensuring all young people have the opportunities available to thrive. Panellists will discuss the drivers behind geographic inequalities; the role of schools and colleges as community hubs in the push to reduce disadvantage and how local policy, or community-led decision-making, might operate to support them to close gaps, particularly in these ‘doubly disadvantaged’ neighbourhoods.
We are delighted to be joined by Tanya Vice, Heart of Sidley Big Local and Prof Neil Humphrey, #BeeWell. Natalie Perera, EPI’s Chief Executive, will chair this session.
** Note: This event will take place in the conference secure zone. To access the secure zone you will need to obtain a pass directly from the Liberal Democrat Party.**
