Free school meal pupils falling further behind their peers, report warns
Summary
A report from the Education Policy Institute (EPI) shows that children from low-income families in England are falling further behind their better-off peers at school. The gap in learning is especially large in early years and at the stage when students take their GCSE exams, despite some improvements after the Covid-19 pandemic.Key Facts
- The achievement gap between poorer pupils and wealthier pupils has grown since the Covid pandemic.
- This gap is wider at every school stage than before the pandemic, with the biggest differences in early education and at Key Stage 4 (GCSE year).
- By Key Stage 4, disadvantaged pupils are about 19 months behind their better-off classmates on average.
- Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) who have formal support plans face the largest recorded gaps.
- Pupils eligible for free school meals are used as a key measure of disadvantage.
- Disadvantaged children in London perform better than similar children in other regions of England.
- The government aims to halve this achievement gap by the time the current generation finishes secondary school.
- Recommendations to close the gap include expanding free childcare access and increasing school funding for disadvantaged pupils.
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