Back To School: Continued regional disparities in educational success

Education inequalities continue to dominate in areas of disadvantage.

Transcript

00:00Going back to school can be a huge source of anxiety for many students, even despite

00:08the exciting prospects of a new school year. Childline has offered some advice for going

00:15back to school. The advice includes writing down anything to worry about and subsequently

00:20going to a trusted adult with the list. Using a mood journal can help students track their

00:25emotions and even pinpoint major sources of worry. Furthermore, Childline recommends students

00:31simply take their time and not to put too much pressure on what they expect from themselves.

00:39With the new school year, education is at the forefront. A new report from the Institute

00:44for Government has highlighted a troubling trend in education, that disadvantaged pupils

00:50in parts of England are performing significantly worse, particularly in areas with high numbers.

00:55of poor, white children. The think tank's analysis shows that white British pupils eligible

01:01for free school meals are among those with the poorest educational outcomes. They make

01:07up a large share of what the report calls a high-impact group – students whose performance

01:14is disproportionately affected by disadvantage. This comes as Education Secretary Bridget Philipson

01:21recently called it a national disgrace that so many white working class children are being written

01:27off by the education system. High absence rates are a major concern. The report argues that reducing

01:34those rates, especially among disadvantaged pupils, will be key to narrowing the gap. According to the latest

01:42figures from the Department for Education, nearly 150,000 children in England were classed as severely

01:50absent in autumn 2024, meaning they missed more than half of their school sessions. Amber Della,

01:57a researcher at the IFG, said the pandemic has undone much of the last decade's progress in

02:03tackling educational inequalities, leaving some areas and groups of children far behind.

02:09The government says it is committed to long-term change. A Department for Education spokesperson said

02:16tackling the baked-in inequalities in our education system will take time, but that we are taking action

02:23against the root causes that we know are holding young people back.