Closing the attainment gap must be education’s top priority, says CPAG

The Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) has welcomed Education Secretary Ruth Kelly’s speech to the IPPR on education and social mobility, but insisted much more needs to be done to close the attainment gap between pupils from poorer and better off backgrounds.

Kate Green, Chief Executive of CPAG, said:

“Ruth Kelly is right to talk about social mobility as it is the biggest challenge facing our education system today.

“The attainment gap between pupils from the poorest backgrounds and those who are better off appears to be narrowing. Results for key stage 3 and 4 are encouraging, but progress has been slow and the gap remains huge. For instance, the latest GCSE results published in March show that pupils eligible for free school meals are still half as likely to get five good GCSEs as those who aren’t.

“Raising standards amongst all pupils and closing this gap is vital and should be the Government’s top educational priority. This is particularly important if we are to break for good the persistent cycle of poverty and disadvantage, highlighted by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation this week.

“Investment now will pay dividends in the future. We are particularly encouraged by Ruth Kelly’s comments on shifting the balance of funding to the schools with large numbers of pupils from deprived backgrounds. Any extra resources should be targeted at helping the most disadvantaged pupils catch up and realise their full potential.”

 

For further information from CPAG please contact:
Alex Belardinelli
CPAG Press Officer
Tel. 020 7812 5216 or 07816 909302
abelardinelli@cpag.org.uk