Poorer students are lagging behind their peers at the same rate as they were a decade ago, a report on the long-standing attainment gap has found.
Disadvantaged pupils have fallen further behind in primary school and at GCSE as progress towards more equal outcomes has slid backwards, the annual research found.
They were at their furthest point behind better-off peers at these stages since 2012, according to the Fair Education Alliance, a coalition of 250 groups that aim to tackle inequality within education.
It said the Covid pandemic served as a barrier to progress being made to narrow the attainment gap, with the cost of living crisis now risking making the situation even worse.
