Disadvantaged pupils have fallen further behind their peers compared to pre-pandemic levels, new analysis reveals
by Educate Magazine July 16, 2024 · All News / Education News
The Education Policy Institute (EPI) has published its latest report on the state of education in England today (16 July), focusing on the attainment gaps between disadvantaged pupils and their peers from the early years to 16-19 education.
The EPI said that the analysis, based on attainment data from 2023, ‘shows that the new government has inherited an education system beset by inequalities, with some of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable young people continuing to fall behind their peers’.
 and those with English as an additional language (EAL), although the make-up of these groups has also changed over the same time period.</p>
<p><strong>Key findings</strong></p>
<p>– Since 2019, disadvantaged pupils at ages five, 11 and 16 have fallen further behind their peers. In primary and secondary phases, the gap has grown by a month since pre-pandemic levels</p>
<p>— The disadvantage gap for 16 to19-year-olds is unchanged compared to 2019, meaning disadvantaged students are still over three grades behind their peers</p>
<p>– Persistently disadvantaged pupils (those eligible for free school meals for at least 80 per cent of their school lives) are almost two years behind by age 16</p>
<p>– By the end of secondary school, the disadvantage gap widened in all regions since 2019, except in London, where disadvantaged pupils continue to have higher attainment than anywhere else</p>
<p>– Girls are still outperforming boys across all education phases, but gender gaps at age 11 and 16 have narrowed in recent years, partly driven by the falling attainment of girls. At age 16, boys are now 4.5 months behind girls, the lowest gap since the series began in 2011</p>
<p>– There has been a significant narrowing of the gap since 2019 for pupils with EAL who arrived late to the state school system. Pupils with EAL who arrived in the final two years of secondary school were 11.8 months behind their peers at age 16. This is a reduction since 2019 of almost nine months, driven partly by the changing ethnic make-up of this group</p>
<p>– Attainment gaps have narrowed since 2019 for older pupils with SEND, but the gap has widened among reception-aged pupils to its widest on record for both children on SEN support and those with education, health and care plans (EHCPs)</p>
<p>– In later phases, the attainment of white British pupils has declined relative to most other ethnic groups in the wake of the pandemic, while the opposite is true for reception-aged pupils. On average, attainment across ethnicities has converged slightly since 2019.</p>
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, said: “Concerningly, not only are disadvantage gaps for 11 and 16 year olds at their widest levels since 2011, we are seeing worrying trends for children just starting school. That gaps at age five are widening across disadvantaged and vulnerable groups – as well as being at record levels for children with SEND – highlights the scale and breadth of challenges facing schools and the importance of the earliest years of life.</p>
<p>“Despite this there are some brighter spots, such as narrowing attainment gaps for older pupils with SEND and late arriving pupils with English as an additional language. It is not yet clear whether these changes represent actual improvements in educational outcomes for vulnerable pupils and further research is needed to better understand the drivers of these trends.”</p>
<p>Later this year, EPI will undertake additional research to further our understanding of what is driving the attainment gaps identified in this report, including the role of school absence.</p>
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