What does child poverty have to do with educational achievement?
The Government has implemented wide-ranging educational reforms and per-pupil spending levels are now up to ‘record levels’. And yet the attainment gap between rich and poor pupils gets wider as they progress through the education system.
By three years old, poor children may be up to a year behind the wealthiest children in terms of cognitive development and ‘school readiness’.
Wealthier pupils perform better at all stages of schooling than pupils eligible for free school meals, regardless of race or gender.
By the time they move to secondary school poorer children are on average two years behind better-off children.
High performing pupils at primary school are four times more likely to fall into low achievement by GCSEs if they are poor.
Being poor means a pupil is nearly three times as likely to fail to get at least five A–C grades at GCSE – and the grade gap with the wealthiest pupils is widening.
Just over 6% of poor p...
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