It has been wonderful to see young people celebrating their GCSE results – a tribute to their hard work and that of their teachers and schools. Yet it is hard to avoid the nagging feeling that the grade they get depends on some factors outside their control. Decisions by the regulator on grade boundaries, for example. Or where they live. Or how rich their parents are.
Impetus have shown that young people from disadvantaged backgrounds have half the chance of getting a pass grade in English and maths as their more privileged peers. The Northern Powerhouse has reminded us that gaps between the north and south are widening. Teach First’s own analysis of Department for Education data tells the story of how gaps at school limit opportunities later on: poorer students are more than twice as likely (33 per cent) not to be in sustained work or education five years after GCSEs, compared to their wealthier peers (14 per cent). In fact, they are more likely to be out of sustained work or education than they are to go to university (27 per cent).
