Social Mobility – Narrowing Social Class
Attainment Gaps
A summary of the evidence and lessons for policy making
Stephen Meek
Director of Strategy, DfES
26 April 2006
DRAFT
DfES Strategy Unit
-1-
Overview of the work
Extensive review of evidence to explore:
What we know about social class attainment gaps?
What drives the attainment gap?
What impact has policy had, and what are the lessons for
policy making?
DRAFT
DfES Strategy Unit
-2-
Other countries’ experience confirms the nature of the challenge,
and shows that this issue is not unique to the UK
Relationship between the average performance of participating countries on the
PISA reading literacy scale and the socio-economic gap in student performance:
2000
High attainment - low equity
High attainment - high equity
600
550
GB R
500
OECD
average
DEU
BEL
USA
CZE
CHE
HUN
LIE
AUS
FRA
IRL
AUT
DNK
NOR
POL
POR
450
KOR
SWE
ISL
JPN
ESP
ITA
RUS
LTV
GRE
LUX
400
FIN
CAN
NZL
MEX
350
Low attainment - low equity
300
70
60
50
OECD
average
BRA
40
Low attainment - high equity
30
20
10
Size of gap not inevitable, but:
Driven by deep social factors more than structure of education system
(though feedback)
Hardest to reach are hard to reach.
DRAFT
DfES Strategy Unit
-3-
Creating a high-performance/high-equity system: reducing the
attainment gap and increasing the average level of attainment
Educational Attainment Levels in England: Present and Future (Indicative Only)
High
Average:
High SEG
Attainment
Levels
Gap
Average: All
Gap
Average:
High SEG
Average: All
Average:
Low SEG
Average:
Low SEG
Low
NOW
THE FUTURE
Achieving both of those objectives simultaneously is
challenging
DRAFT
DfES Strategy Unit
-4-
What do we know about social class attainment gaps?
What drives the attainment gap?
What impact has policy had, and what are the lessons for policy
making?
DRAFT
DfES Strategy Unit
-5-
There is evidence of a social class attainment gap at Foundation
Stage…
Percentage of 5 year olds achieving a ‘good’ level of development by the end of Foundation Stage in schools in
Sure Start areas compared with all schools in England (national average): 2005
(%)
90
80
70
%
60
Sure Start areas
National Average
50
40
30
20
10
0
P e rs o na l, S o c ia l a nd
E m o t io na l D e v e lo pm e nt
DRAFT
C o m m unic a t io n,
La ngua ge a nd Lit e ra c y
DfES Strategy Unit
-6-
…the attainment gap is similarly evident at pupil-level across all
Key Stages in School…
Average Point Score for Pupils by Free School
Meal (FSM) Status for Key Stages 1 to 4: 2005
(Points)
40
Non-FSM Pupils
35
35.0
FSM Pupils
29.9
28.2
30
300
25.3
25
250
20
13.4
221.9
150
10
100
5
50
0
0
Key Stage 1
DRAFT
299.1
200
15.9
15
350
Key Stage 2
Key Stage 3
DfES Strategy Unit
Key Stage 4(2)
-7-
As well as increases in attainment, there has been a minor narrowing
of the gap at KS3 and 4, though overall gap remains signficant
Change in Average Point Score for Pupils by
Free School Meal (FSM) Status for Key Stages 2, 3 and 4
(Points)
Key Stage 2 (2002-2005)
Points
Key Stage 4 (2002 -2004)
Key Stage 3 (2002 -2004)
Minor widening
Points
0.3
Points
2.5
1.4
1.2
0.2
0.2
Improvement
2.0
Improvement
Improvement
0.3
1.5
1.0
Minor narrowing
1.0
0.8
0.6
Minor narrowing
0.1
0.4
0.5
0.1
0.0
0.2
0.0
0.0
Non
FSM
FSM
Total
Non
FSM
FSM
Total
Non
FSM
FSM
Total
(1)
DRAFT
DfES Strategy Unit
-8-
While prior attainment becomes increasingly important,
deprivation has impact at all attainment levels
Proportion in FT Education at 16 by Year 11 Attainment
and Parental Occupation Classification (NS-SEC): 2003
(%)
96
100
Professional
90
80
79
79
74
Intermediate/Manual &
Routine
64
59
60
58
46
%
39
40
20
0
T otal
8+A*-Cs
5-7 A*-Cs
1-4 A*-Cs
No A*-Cs
Prior Attainment at GCSE
DRAFT
DfES Strategy Unit
-9-
Unqualified school leavers who go on to acquire a level 2
qualification have better job prospects
100%
Employment rates of unqualified school leavers who
later attain against qualified school leavers
(%)
80%
60%
Men
Women
40%
20%
0%
Unqualified school Unqualified school Unqualified school
leaver w ho does leaver w ho goes leaver w ho goes
not go on to gain
on to gain
on to gain
qualifications
vocational L1
vocational L2
DRAFT
DfES Strategy Unit
Qualified school
leaver
- 10 -
What do we know about social class attainment gaps?
What drives the attainment gap?
What impact has policy had, and what are the lessons for policy
making?
DRAFT
DfES Strategy Unit
- 11 -
Social factors are the biggest driver of the attainment gap – but
our educational levers are stronger
Tackling social
factors is critical,
but they are harder
to affect
Educational
interventions can be
effective, even
though their
potential impact is
smaller
DRAFT
The most significant factors behind a
child’s achievement are social, and in
particular, parental. However, it is harder for
government to intervene to effect change here.
Though less of a driver of the social class
attainment gap than social factors and
individual characteristics, the evidence of the
positive impact of educational interventions
is more tangible.
DfES Strategy Unit
- 12 -
What do we know about social class attainment gaps?
What drives the attainment gap?
What impact has policy had, and what are the lessons for
policy making?
DRAFT
DfES Strategy Unit
- 13 -
Summary: Early years
•
Pre-school attendance has a positive effect on attainment in
primary school,
•
Access to childcare provision supports parental employment, which
is likely to lead to better child outcomes
•
Lessons for policy making
•take-up is lower among children from lower SEGs –
•we need a better understanding of any ‘quality gap’ and its
impact on child development
•Evidence from the Sure Start evaluation points to ensuring
interventions reach the most disadvantaged
•Need to sustain impact through school for early investment to
have lasting consequences
DRAFT
DfES Strategy Unit
- 14 -
Summary: family policy
Specific
interventions
to improve
parenting skills
Improving
family
circumstances
• limited evidence on the effectiveness of interventions
to improve parenting skills,
• those programmes which have an impact are often
highly targeted, specialised and costly
• Young people who live in single-parent/carer
households or workless households often have lower
attainment levels
• Increasing employment rates should raise family
income, and permanent income does appear to
matter for child development.
• The Department can support employment through
access to childcare and through improving adult skill
levels
DRAFT
DfES Strategy Unit
- 15 -
Summary: School age
School
System
• Risks that the present floor target regime on its own doesn’t
sufficiently focus effort on the lowest attaining pupils, or on children
with potential to achieve very highly
• Intervention in failing schools has disproportionately benefited
deprived pupils
Funding
Curriculum,
Teaching
and
Support
Choice and
Access
DRAFT
• Funding is distributed at national level to recognise deprivation but
this is often not reflected in Local Authorities allocation
• Increased funding can drive higher attainment among low SEG pupils,
especially if linked with particular teaching and learning strategies
• Use of personalised interventions such as catch-up literacy and small
group tuition can help FSM children
• Extended Schools have considerable potential – but need to ensure
access
• Not just for low-attaining deprived pupils – deprived pupils at risk of
slower progress at all levels of attainment
• Education Bill ensures pupils from deprived backgrounds are not
disadvantaged in admissions, and are supported in making choices
about schools.
DfES Strategy Unit
- 16 -
Summary: 14-19
14-19 Qualifications and Curriculum Reforms have Two Broad
Objectives
1. Breaking the cycle of student disengagement
• Participation lower among low SEG groups
2. Raising attainment
• Ensuring that all students reach Level 2 by age 19:a new
ambition for 85% of all young people to achieve this by
2013, rising to 90% thereafter
DRAFT
DfES Strategy Unit
- 17 -
Summary: 19+
• HE - while prior attainment is the key determinant of access to Higher
Education, aspirations and expectations still play a critical role.
• Raising the skill levels of adults with few or no qualifications has
potential intergenerational benefits, but making significant inroads into the
stock is a big challenge,
• And evidence from the National Employer Training pilots suggested a need
for targeting of employers who do not already provide time off for low
skilled employees to train to qualifications to extend reach and impact
DRAFT
DfES Strategy Unit
- 18 -
Six general lessons underpin our approach to narrowing the
social class attainment gap
1. Higher Profile
2. Better Measurement
3. Early and sustained high quality interventions
4. Personalised Interventions
5. Improved understanding of key groups
6. Sharing Best Practice
DRAFT
DfES Strategy Unit
- 19 -
Key conclusions
We are seeking to achieve an education system characterised by excellence and
equity
The evidence suggests that we need to think hard about accountabilities and
incentives in the education system
Key areas include:
•
A continued focus on raising attainment for all in the early years
-
A target to increase the number of children at age 5 who achieve
a good level of development from 48% to 53% by 2008
•
Incentives to encourage progression for all students at all key stages,
and possibly a target to this effect
•
Ensuring that nearly all students reach Level 2 by age 19
-
A new ambition for 85% of all young people to achieve this by
2013, rising to 90% thereafter
Department for Education and Skills
- 20 -
Social Mobility – Narrowing Social Class
Attainment Gaps
A summary of the evidence and lessons for policy making
Stephen Meek
Director of Strategy, DfES
26 April 2006
DRAFT
DfES Strategy Unit
- 21 -