Pupils in the North ‘are being left behind’

PUPILS in the North are left behind by children in the South because of “entrenched deprivation and poor schools”, according to a new report.

Those in the North-west, North-east, Yorkshire and the Humber are less likely to do well in secondary schools and leave education early, said Anne Longfield, Children’s Commissioner for England, who carried out the study.

She also found a child from a low-income family, who gets free school meals in Hackney, east London, was three times more likely to go to university than a child in Hartlepool, County Durham.

London children on free school meals were also 40 per cent more likely to achieve a good maths and English GCSE grade than children in the North.

Difficulties

Ofsted has also rated more than half of schools in the North’s most deprived communities “satisfactory” or “inadequate” with weak leadership and difficulties recruiting staff.

Mrs Longfield wants the Government to include improving school standards in the region as part of the Northern Powerhouse regeneration project, set up to boost the local economy.

She said: “Too many children in the North are facing the double whammy of entrenched deprivation and poor schools. They are being left behind... the Northern Powerhouse will only succeed if children are at the heart of the project.”

The Government said: “Our Northern Powerhouse programme includes £3.4billion investment in projects to boost the local economy, £12million to spread good teaching practice in English and improve early literacy and for families to support their child’s education at home.”