The attainment gap between disadvantaged secondary school pupils and their better-off peers has widened to its largest level in 10 years.
Provisional key stage 4 performance data published this morning shows the disadvantage attainment gap now stands at 3.84.
This is the widest it has been since 2011-12, when it was 3.89.
Sir Peter Lampl, founder of the Sutton Trust, said the results show the pandemic “has reversed a decade of progress” and paints a “worrying picture”.
He said it adds to the overwhelming case “that there has to be a step change in what is done to enable young people to recover from the pandemic”, adding: “The government needs to step up to the challenge immediately. There is no time to lose.”
