The 37 – 64% Education Attainment Gap

Children from disadvantaged backgrounds are far less likely to get good GCSE results. Attainment statistics published in January 2014 show that in 2013 37.9% of pupils who qualified for free school meals got 5 GCSEs, including English and Mathematics at A* to C, compared with 64.6% of pupils who do not qualify.

The Government believes it is unacceptable for children’s success to be determined by their social circumstances. It intends to raise levels of achievement for all disadvantaged pupils and to close the gap between disadvantaged children and their peers.

The Government is also committed to ending child poverty by 2020 by helping disadvantaged children outside of school.

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Raising the Achievement of Disadvantaged Children

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Employers – unhappy with school leavers’ skills

Employers, universities and colleges are often dissatisfied with school leavers’ literacy and numeracy even though the proportion of young people achieving good grades has gone up in recent years. Around 42% of employers need to organise additional training for young people joining them from school or college.

The Government believes making GCSEs and A levels more rigorous will prepare students properly for life after school. In addition, it believes the curriculum should give individual schools and teachers greater freedom to teach in the way they know works and ensures that all pupils acquire a core of essential knowledge in English, Mathematics and the Sciences.

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Reforming Qualifications and the Curriculum to Better Prepare Pupils for Life after School

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