More likely to achieve less. More likely to be out of work at age 21. And if they are in work, they are more likely to be earning significantly less (even with similar qualifications).
Three pieces of research have laid bare the extent to which living in poverty hits the attainment and future prospects of disadvantaged students – and set out the case once again for more investment in both early intervention and front-line schools’ spending.
A report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) paints a bleak picture: “There has been virtually no change in the ‘disadvantage gap’ in GCSE attainment over the past 20 years.”
Indeed, household income – whether at the top or the bottom of the pile – continues to be a huge predictor of performance at GCSE.
