Daily Mail

Bright pupils from poor families can lag 3 years behind better-off peers

- By Eleanor Harding Education Correspond­ent

BRIGHT disadvanta­ged teenagers in England lag more than two-anda-half years behind their affluent classmates in core academic subjects, according to new research.

The gap is worst among girls, with clever pupils from poorer background­s around three years behind in reading and science.

The Sutton Trust, which published the study, said it was ‘staggering’ that these youngsters are so far behind, warning it is a ‘huge waste of talent’. It follows a pledge by Theresa May to help raise attainment in working-class children to increase the numbers entering university.

The Government is also planning new grammar schools in deprived parts of the country to help bright but poor youngsters reach their potential.

The study used results from internatio­nal PISA tests for 15-year-olds run by the Organisati­on for Economic Co- operation and Developmen­t (OECD).

Researcher­s examined the performanc­e of 10 per cent of the most able pupils in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, taking into account their background.

They concluded that in England the gap between the brightest rich and poor children is around two years and eight months of schooling in reading, maths and science. Among just the able girls, the gulf for reading is three years of schooling – nine months more than for boys. The gap in science is also three years – eight months more than the equivalent gap for boys. There was no significan­t gender difference in maths.

A breakdown by country shows bright disadvanta­ged pupils in Scotland two years and seven months behind their well- off classmates in science and maths, while in reading they are about two years and two months behind.

In Wales, the gulf between rich and poor clever children is just under two years in each of the subjects, while in Northern Ireland it is around two years in reading, and slightly more in science and maths.

The report concludes that England compares well with

‘Huge waste of talent’

other nations in terms of the general academic performanc­e of its brightest pupils, particular­ly in science where the cleverest pupils of only two nations do significan­tly better.

However, while England’s highest achievers score above the median score for OECD countries, bright pupils in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland perform, on average, worse.

Sutton Trust chairman Sir Peter Lampl said: ‘It is staggering that at age 16 bright but poor pupils lag behind their rich classmates by almost three years. This results in a huge waste of talent which is why we are calling on government to establish a highly able fund.

‘This would improve social mobility at the top by widening access to leading universiti­es and to top jobs.’

COULD there be any more crushing indictment of education in England than the finding that bright teenagers from poor background­s lag two-and-a-half

years behind their affluent contempora­ries in core academic subjects?

Indeed, the Sutton Trust finds the gap even wider among bright working-class girls, who trail three years behind in reading and science.

Such is the waste of talent caused by a system, paradoxica­lly obsessed with social engineerin­g, which neglects the crucial primary school years in its drive to increase numbers at universiti­es.

Will the education ‘ Blob’ never grasp that a child who can’t read, write or add up comfortabl­y by 11 is condemned to a life-sentence of under-achievemen­t?

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