Post-pandemic gains in narrowing the attainment gap for poorer pupils have stalled or reversed, presenting an “early challenge” for the new prime minister, a report has warned today. The Education Policy Institute’s annual report found the government’s target to halve the disadvantage gap is “moving further out of reach, not closer”. Researchers at the think tank looked at the performance of pupils who had at any point in their schooling been eligible for free school meals and compared it to that of their better-off peers. They found that compared to 2019, the attainment gap is 17 per cent wider in the early years, 9 per cent wider at key stage 2, five per cent at GCSE and two per cent in 16 to 19 education. “Although some gaps had begun to narrow between 2023 and 2024, worryingly this year’s data sees them widening again in the early years and at key stage 4, and plateauing at key stage 2,” the report warned. Although the measured 16 per cent 19 attainment gap remains close to pre-pandemic levels, this “masks a widening participation gap, as disadvantaged young people become increasingly less likely to remain in education or training after age 16”. ‘Early challenge’ It comes just months after the government’s white paper set a target to halve the disadvantage gap by the time the current generation of children finishes school. It also comes as Andy Burnham prepares to take over as prime minister from Keir Starmer. The EPI found that “on current trends”, the government’s ambition is “moving further out of reach, not closer”. “The finding presents an early challenge for the incoming prime minister, who inherits the government’s aim.” The report found that gaps for pupils receiving SEN support narrowed for older age groups, but remained above pre-pandemic levels in reception. The gap for pupils with education, health and care plans remained at its highest recorded level. Julie McCulloch, EPI’s chief executive, said the reports findings were “absolutely not a reason to abandon the target. Instead, it presents a concrete challenge to be far more exacting about the mechanisms for hitting it. “The next prime minister inherits a clear pledge and a difficult starting position. What happens next should not be a reset or a retreat from that ambition. Instead, we need a laser-like focus on whether current structures, systems and resources are enough to actually deliver it. “This is particularly crucial for the children who have fallen furthest behind, who are too often those who have grown up in long-term poverty or have other vulnerabilities such as special educational needs.” Recommendations The report called on the government to: Equalise access to funding for early education and care Refocus attention on prioritising quality in the early years Invest sufficiently in the workforce required to support and develop children and young people with SEND Increase the number of educational psychologists and speech and language therapists Improve access to paediatric services and child and adolescent mental health services. Introduce proactive screening for SEND Introduce a ‘strengths and needs profile’ approach to SEND assessment Evaluate where curriculum, assessment, qualifications and school accountability measures are acting as obstacles to meeting children’s needs and securing better long-term outcomes Introduce a 16-19 student premium Introduce an enhanced pupil premium, targeted specifically at persistently disadvantaged pupils. Develop robust statistical measures of educational inequality that reflect the proposed changes to the way disadvantage funding is allocated Ensure schools and colleges are able to access detailed and timely data about their learners to enable early identification of at-risk learners Develop wider measures of wellbeing, belonging and engagement alongside academic outcomes to inform future assessments of educational inequality