Free School Meal Pupils Trail Peers by 18 Months in GCSE Attainment, Institute Warns
Pupils eligible for free school meals in England are now an average of 18 months behind their peers in GCSE attainment, a new report from the Education Policy Institute (EPI) has revealed. This gap has widened by two months since 2019, reversing previous progress.
Disadvantaged Pupils Falling Further Behind
The EPI's annual report on the attainment gap, based on data up to the 2021-22 academic year, shows that the disadvantage gap at primary school has also expanded by approximately two months since 2019, now standing at 11 months. The report identifies that by the end of secondary school, only 28.2% of disadvantaged pupils achieve a strong pass in English and Maths GCSEs, compared to 55% of their non-disadvantaged counterparts. This disparity is particularly acute for those from persistently disadvantaged backgrounds, who are more than two years behind their peers at GCSE level.
The EPI attributes this regression primarily to the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which disproportionately affected poorer families and their children's education. The report urges the incoming Prime Minister to address this issue with a "laser-like focus," advocating for substantial investment in education recovery programmes, particularly targeting early years and secondary education.
The Department for Education acknowledged the challenges and stated its commitment to supporting disadvantaged pupils. It highlighted the allocation of nearly £5 billion since 2020 for education recovery, including the National Tutoring Programme, which has delivered millions of tutoring courses.
