Rich-poor pupil gap 'not closing'

Schools are unlikely to be able to close the achievement gap between pupils from rich and poor backgrounds, say researchers.

There have been repeated attempts to reduce the impact of social inequality on academic achievement. But this study from the University of Manchester says schools alone are not going to be able to bridge this divide and that previous attempts to narrow the gap have not made "substantial sustained improvements". Schools have struggled to break the stubborn link between a poor background and low academic achievement.The best efforts of schools are going to be insufficient to counter the other problems facing pupils and families in their home background and that if pupils are in families that are struggling with unemployment, bad housing and poor health, the ability of schools to close the gap with more affluent children is going to be limited.

Prof. Mel West, co-editor of the review and head of Manchester University's school of education cautions schools in isolation are not going to be able to achieve a more equal outcome for pupils and that the impact of previous attempts to spend more on schools in deprived areas has been less than expected - suggesting that schools cannot provide a "panacea" for politicians trying to address broader social ills.