Skip to content
21 April 2026

Tag: disadvantage

Exam changes can’t compensate for Covid hit to disadvantaged pupils, says government

Changes to next year’s exams cannot compensate for pupils’ divided experiences during the pandemic, the government has said, even as research from its own exams regulator laid bare the disruption to disadvantaged children’s education. On Monday, Ofqual and the Department for Education published a consultation on measures to “help mitigate the impact of disruption” for […]

EPI: Attainment gap has stopped closing for the first time in a decade

The attainment gap between poorer pupils and their better-off peers has stopped closing for the first time in 10 years, new research from the Education Policy Institute has found. The research, based on Department for Education data, found that disadvantaged pupils are now 18.1 months behind their more advantaged peers in terms of learning time […]

OECD: Target extra resources at schools serving disadvantaged areas

Policy makers must target extra resources towards schools supporting large numbers of disadvantaged pupils, according to a new report. The ‘Equity in Education’ paper from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) examined barriers to social mobility, and suggested governments should set “ambitious goals” for disadvantaged students and direct additional resources at their schools […]

Grammar schools asked to prioritise poorest pupils

The body representing most of the country’s grammar school headteachers will encourage its members to “prioritise” the poorest pupils in their admissions. The Grammar School Heads Association has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Department for Education aimed as part of a push to improve access to selective schools for poorer children. The government […]

A deep dive into Progress 8 and disadvantage

The Department for Education released its revised GCSE results for the 2016-17 exams on January 25, and Schools Week has taken a deep dive into the data to see how disadvantaged pupils fared at different types of schools. Pupils are defined as “disadvantaged” if they have been eligible for free school meals in the past […]

Poor pupils eschew music and sports clubs for more core tuition

Poorer pupils are missing out on music and sports clubs because they have to spend more time trying to improve their maths and English, the Sutton Trust has found. On average, year 11 pupils in England spend nine and a half hours per week on additional tuition, including activities outside the normal school timetable provided […]