Poorer students in the UK are almost three full years behind their wealthier peers academically, a global report on social mobility has revealed.
Nearly half (46 per cent) of disadvantaged students attend schools where other children tend to be deprived – and these pupils are more likely to do worse than their peers in affluent schools.
Where poorer students attend advantaged schools, they are two and a half years ahead of those at disadvantaged schools, the study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) found.
In science, disadvantaged students in the UK fall almost three full school years behind their wealthier peers by the age of 15.
The report indicates more than two-thirds of the achievement gap observed at age 15 and about two-thirds of the gap among 25 to 29-year-olds was already seen among 10-year-olds.
Poorer students are not performing as well in the UK as there are fewer high-quality teachers going into the schools serving disadvantaged youngsters across the country, a global expert has suggested.
Andreas Schleicher, the OECD’s director of education and skills, said that “poverty need not be destiny” as the poorest students in Estonia, Vietnam and Hong Kong still achieve strong learning outcomes.
And poorer students in some countries – such as Finland, Poland, Norway and Iceland – perform equally as well in disadvantaged schools as they do in advantaged schools, the OECD found. On the UK, Mr Schleicher said: “Currently you have regressive teacher allocation where the schools in greater disadvantage face greater shortage of qualified teachers.” On the UK, Mr Schleicher said: “Currently you have regressive teacher allocation where the schools in greater disadvantage face greater shortage of qualified teachers.”
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, called the report “alarming”. He said: “Despite the improving standards in schools and two decades of sustained effort, narrowing the gap between richer and poorer students is taking too long.
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