Regional disparities in educational outcomes ‘remain stubborn’, research suggests

There are large disparities in educational outcomes across different regions in the UK, according to research from the Social Market Foundation (SMF).

Initial research by the SMF found that regional differences in attainment were already apparent by the end of primary school and are observable even when you control other factors such as ethnicity and income.

The study found that regional inequalities across children sitting exams at age 16 have remained stubborn over the last three decades, with areas such as the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber, the West Midlands and the East Midlands persistently under-performing, whilst London’s performance has surged.

The SMF also found wide inequality due to income, with 40 per cent of students who receive free school meals achieving 5 A*-Cs grades at GCSE, compared to 70 per cent of students who do not. This disparity has again remained persistent over the last 30 years.

Over the last three decades ethnic inequalities have altered dramatically, but educational performance still varies significantly across different ethnic minority groups. 85 per cent of Chinese pupils achieve five good GCSEs, compared to 59 per cent of Black Caribbean pupils. Asian students born in 1970 performed poorly, while those born in 1997/98 were the best performers, and white students, on average, have fallen from over-performers to under-performers.