Top comprehensive schools take fewer pupils on free school meals, report finds

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The greatest state secondary schools in England are failing to take in disadvantaged pupils and a few are much less various than grammar schools, a brand new report on social mobility has discovered.

More than 150 comprehensive secondary schools in England are extra “socially selective” than the typical grammar school, in accordance with analysis from The Sutton Trust, and class integration is getting worse.

The 500 comprehensives with the perfect grades within the nation take 40 per cent fewer pupils eligible for free school meals than the typical comprehensive, the report discovered.

Education consultants have condemned the degrees of social segregation between schools as “unacceptable” and pushed for a “reset” that may reward schools for taking in kids from poorer households.

The Sutton Trust examine discovered that comprehensives are more and more controlling their very own admissions, from 80 per cent in 2016 to 90 per cent in 2022. The “attainment gap” between deprived and well-off pupils is at its highest stage since 2011, because of disrupted training in the course of the pandemic, researchers stated.

They regarded on the high 500 secondary schools in England by the Attainment 8 measure – which assesses the achievement of a pupil throughout eight topics at GCSE.

On common, the highest schools took 40 per cent fewer kids on free school meals than a traditional comprehensive school. Experts prompt that round a 3rd of this hole was right down to the schools being situated in additional prosperous areas, however two-thirds represented “some form of social selection within that area”.

Faith schools, for instance, have been extra more likely to be “socially selective” than non-religious high comprehensive schools.

Evidence confirmed that the schools with the highest grades have been taking 30 per cent fewer pupils eligible for free school meals than lived of their catchment areas, displaying that they weren’t consultant of their native communities.

Sir Peter Lampl, founding father of the Sutton Trust, stated that “the poorest parts of the country are hit by a double whammy of having the fewest top comprehensive schools, which are also the most socially selective”.

In the northeast, there have been fewer high schools and those who did have good grades have been essentially the most socially selective within the nation. In 2016, 5.4 per cent of the highest state schools have been within the northeast however this has now dropped to round 4 per cent.

In London nonetheless, there’s an rising variety of high 500 schools, bettering public examination outcomes and reducing ranges of social selectivity, the report stated.

The report defined that there’s a spiral have an effect on, with schools with extra prosperous intakes being extra more likely to obtain high grades, ship pupils to college and entice lecturers.

The most aspirational mother and father then gravitate in the direction of the schools “which leads to a vicious cycle of inequality”, the report stated.

Professor of social mobility, Lee Elliot Major, on the University of Exeter, stated it was “unacceptable that so many schools are failing to reflect the social make-up of the communities they are intended to serve”.

He added: “We need a fundamental reset of our priorities in education – schools should only be judged outstanding by Ofsted for example if they are taking in their fair share of free school meals pupils and demonstrating that these pupils are making good progress.

“The current accountability system punishes teachers who take on pupils from under-resourced backgrounds. A school system that is socially segregated is bad news for educational equity and social mobility.”

Sarah Atkinson, chief government of the Social Mobility Foundation, stated that the analysis demonstrated the “shocking extent to which social background and parental networks affect education outcomes for young people at every stage and in every part of the system.”

She referred to as on the federal government to “prioritise action to close the attainment gap”.

Sir Lampl added: “The levels of social segregation across the school system are unacceptable. We need to urgently address this problem to create a more balanced system and raise the quality of all schools.”

A spokesperson for London mayor Sadiq Khan stated that it was good that the capital was “leading the way”, however added: “It is simply not right that so many children are disadvantaged because of their background and it’s vital that the government does more to tackle the inequality that they face.”

Geoff Barton, common secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, stated: “Fairer access is not just about admissions practices. It is also about ensuring that all schools have the support and resources they need to provide a high-quality education wherever they are and whatever their context.

“Currently, we have an inspection system which often actively damages schools that face the greatest challenges by the application of negative ratings which make it more difficult to recruit staff and pupils.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Education stated: “Education standards have risen sharply across the country since 2010 with 89 per cent of schools now rated good or outstanding by Ofsted, up from just 68 per cent 13 years ago.

“The Schools Admissions Code requires admission arrangements to be fair, clear and objective, and no child should be unfairly disadvantaged.

“Admission authorities can choose to prioritise children eligible for the pupil premium when they are over their published admission number according to their need of their local area.”