According to the Social Mobility Commission, academic progress made by disadvantaged pupils decreases at secondary school — regardless of their previous performance at a primary school level, The Telegraph wrote.
In a report published recently, the watchdog warns that by the time intelligent but disadvantaged students reach 11-years-old, their more affluent peers will already be close on their heels.
Rather than the gap resulting from variations in teaching quality between schools, the report also claims that the most pronounced inequalities are between pupils enrolled at the same centers.
The findings come on the back of recent trends which show that pupils from low income families have performed worse each year since 2012.
Pupils on free school meals — the most commonly accepted signifier of social and economic background — are almost half a GCSE grade worse off than better off pupils in Attainment 8 core subjects.
They are more likely to be placed in bottom sets, taught by less qualified teachers and receive less encouragement at these schools.
Alongside the development of ‘continuing training’ for teachers, one of the report’s key recommendations is that ‘head teachers should develop a school culture of universally high expectations.’
The problems facing disadvantaged pupils have also been linked to domestic setbacks such as ineffective studying patterns, a lack of access to necessary books and computers, and limited extra-curricular and sporting activities. They are also more at risk of anti-social behavior problems and exclusion from school.
Poor students from urban areas are in more danger of academic setbacks than their counterparts from rural areas, as are poor white pupils in relation to their peers from ethnic minority backgrounds.
On the whole, the progress made by ethnic minority students from low income backgrounds meets the national average. This is because the latter seem to receive more support at home.
Head teachers point out that further cuts to funding may have a negative effect on pupils who are already at risk. They note that secondary schools have already seen reductions in external support for pupils suffering from mental health disorders or those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). The authors of the report conclude that “specialist provision” for these pupils should be prioritized and their funding protected.
Alan Milburn, the Chairman of the Social Mobility Commission, said: “One of the shocking features of our education system is that the gap between poor pupils and their better-off peers increases during their time in school rather than reducing.
“The government can help by setting an explicit target for narrowing the attainment gap at GCSE and by doing more to get the best teachers into the toughest secondary schools.”
The report says that recruitment of quality teachers, high expectations, amassed pupil data and necessary interventions are methods employed by the most successful schools in the country, and should therefore be emulated.
It also criticizes the introduction of new forms of ‘selection’ and ‘segregation’ — a veiled reference to the government’s support for the extension of grammar schools.