MPs: We need to act on our social mobility cold spots
Social mobility “cold spots” in England are likely to get colder if action is not taken, a cross-party group of MPs and peers has warned.
There could be serious repercussions for children’s achievement in these areas, such as Norfolk, Somerset and Blackpool, if the government does not offer more support, a report on social mobility says.
The all-party parliamentary group on social mobility is calling for ring-fenced funding for children’s centres and for high-quality early years provision to be offered to the poorest children.
The emergence of large areas of low educational attainment have contributed to deep social divisions in Britain, the report warns.
The progress of disadvantaged pupils in England lags behind their classmates by around half a grade per subject at GCSE. But the attainment gap is much worse in certain areas of the country.
Poorer pupils in London perform about the same as the average student nationally, meanwhile disadvantaged pupils in the northeast have the lowest scores.
The report calls for a “social mobility premium” – a fund to help the most disadvantaged pupils – to pay for teacher development in deprived areas. It also suggests more generous financial incentives for teachers who take up posts in challenging schools.
The report comes after education secretary Damian Hinds said poorer families should use smartphone and tablet apps with preschool children to close the gap in literacy skills.
Sir Peter Lampl, founder and chair of the Sutton Trust, said: “We find ourselves an increasingly divided country; divided by politics, by life prospects, and also divided geographically.
“There are big differences in educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in different areas. This regional attainment gap acts as a major roadblock to social mobility, creating social mobility ‘cold spots’ where your chances of getting on in life are slim. We need to focus on these cold spots by means of interventions to address inequalities.”
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, added: “The government must live up to its rhetoric on social mobility by giving [schools and colleges] the money they need to support these young people.”
Another recent report from University College London (UCL) reveals that early schooling can substantially reduce the attainment gap between poorer boys and their more affluent peers.
An additional term of early schooling can improve test scores in language and numeracy at age five by up to 20 per cent for boys from disadvantaged backgrounds, the study finds.
Researchers from UCL suggest that deferring school entry for summer-born children would not be beneficial for these children from poorer families.
The Department for Education did not respond to a request for comment.