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Social Mobility

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Social Mobility Narrowing Social Class Attainment Gaps ... Six general lessons underpin our approach to narrowing the social class attainment gap ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Social Mobility


1
Social Mobility Narrowing Social Class
Attainment GapsA summary of the evidence and
lessons for policy making
  • Stephen Meek
  • Director of Strategy, DfES
  • 26 April 2006

2
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?
3
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
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.
4
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
Average High SEG
Average All
Gap
Average Low SEG
Attainment Levels
Average All
Gap
Average Low SEG
Low
NOW
THE FUTURE
Achieving both of those objectives simultaneously
is challenging
5
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?
6
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 ()
7
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)
Key Stage 2
Key Stage 3
Key Stage 4(2)
Key Stage 1
8
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 4 (2002 -2004)
Key Stage 2 (2002-2005)
Key Stage 3 (2002 -2004)
Minor widening
Points
Points
Points
Minor narrowing
Improvement
Improvement
Improvement
Minor narrowing
Non FSM
FSM
Total
Non FSM
FSM
Total
Non FSM
FSM
Total
(1)
9
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 ()
Prior Attainment at GCSE
10
Unqualified school leavers who go on to acquire a
level 2 qualification have better job prospects
Employment rates of unqualified school leavers
who later attain against qualified school
leavers ()
11
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?
12
Social factors are the biggest driver of the
attainment gap but our educational levers are
stronger
  • The most significant factors behind a childs
    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.

Tackling social factors is critical, but they are
harder to affect
Educational interventions can be effective, even
though their potential impact is smaller
13
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?
14
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

15
Summary family policy
  • limited evidence on the effectiveness of
    interventions to improve parenting skills,
  • those programmes which have an impact are often
    highly targeted, specialised and costly

Specific interventions to improve parenting skills
  • 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

Improving family circumstances
16
Summary School age
  • Risks that the present floor target regime on its
    own doesnt 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 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.

School System
Funding
Curriculum, Teaching and Support
Choice and Access
17
Summary 14-19
14-19 Qualifications and Curriculum Reforms have
Two Broad Objectives
  • Breaking the cycle of student disengagement
  • Participation lower among low SEG groups
  • Raising attainment
  • Ensuring that all students reach Level 2 by age
    19a new ambition for 85 of all young people to
    achieve this by 2013, rising to 90 thereafter

18
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

19
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
20
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

21
Social Mobility Narrowing Social Class
Attainment GapsA summary of the evidence and
lessons for policy making
  • Stephen Meek
  • Director of Strategy, DfES
  • 26 April 2006
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