Mind the Gap: Rising educational inequality for young Londoners

By the age of 16, attainment among London’s most disadvantaged young people lags an average of 12 months behind their more advantaged peers.^[2]



The gap in educational achievement between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils urgently needs to be closed.



London enrols a much higher proportion of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds than the English average. Around one fifth of pupils in London are eligible for free school meals (FSM), which is used as a proxy for poverty.^[3] Research shows that children eligible for FSM do not do as well as those who do not receive FSM.^[4]



The London Assembly Education Panel has today written to the Mayor to support and encourage the development of a more inclusive education system that addresses the inequality in outcomes and educational attainment for pupils across London.

Key findings of the investigation include:

• The financial pressures on London schools in providing places, as well as deliver support for students with SEND is expected to increase.
• Support for families with low incomes should include access to affordable and accessible childcare.
• Sharing information to identify vulnerable pupils and support their transition from primary to secondary, and then post 16, is crucial in tackling these inequalities.
• The teacher labour market faces a severe challenge over the next decade, in regards to supply, retention and mobility in the capital.

Recommendations to the Mayor include:

• Enable local authorities to better plan for school places and more control over decision making in where schools are opened.
• The Mayor should lobby the Department for Education for further funding to meet London’s unique education needs, by March 2020.
• Findings from the Early Years Hub pilot should be shared to see if it is working effectively after the pilot ends in December 2020.
• The Mayor should give a commitment to ensuring there is a robust information and intelligence framework between schools, local councils and other education stakeholders to deliver better safeguarding services by March 2020.
• The Mayor should do more to encourage the recruitment and retention of teachers by building on existing programmes to provide affordable housing for teachers.

Chair of the London Assembly Education Panel, Jennette Arnold OBE AM said:



“High and rising educational inequality is a pressing economical and societal concern in the capital. Our findings have made it clear that educational attainment is a key factor in determining career prospects, poverty risk and promoting social mobility.



“Access to early years plays an important role and the Mayor can do more to support parents with low incomes and make it easier to access free early years education. Every child should be able to rise above their birth circumstances.



“Another pressing concern for us has been the substantial rise in the demand for places for pupils with special educational needs and the Mayor needs to address London’s challenges in SEND provision.”