News
Poor pupils in struggling schools 'lag further behind'
11 Jul 2011
New research from the Sutton Trust has revealed that the gap between the poorest pupils and their better-off peers in struggling schools in England is wider than in other schools.
The study found that pupils eligible for free school meals in schools below national standards were a third as likely to reach GCSE targets as better-off peers elsewhere.
The trust studied 165,000 pupils in primary and secondary schools in England whose results fell below targets set by the government. It found only 40% of these children reached expected standards at primary school, compared to 81% of children not eligible for free meals who attended schools which attained the government targets.
At secondary level, only 18% reached the target level - five A-C GCSE passes including English and maths - while 61% of their wealthier peers in schools that were not struggling reached the benchmark.
"These attainment gaps are significantly larger than the gaps between free school meals-eligible pupils in all schools and their peers who are not eligible for free school meals," the report said.
At secondary level, white British children in this category lagged behind most other major ethnic groups. For example, they were only half as likely to reach the GCSE target as Bangladeshi children, and also lagged behind Pakistani, Black African, Caribbean and Asian pupils.
Sir Peter Lampl, chairman of the EEF and the Sutton Trust, said:
"The research is a stark reminder of the inequalities facing poor pupils in this country."
Education Secretary Michael Gove said:
"It is a scandal that the results of the poorest children in the weakest primary schools have actually worsened over the last three years."
You can read the full story on the BBC News website here.
