London FSM pupils have greatest opportunities in England

New research by The Sutton Trust has revealed that disadvantaged children from London have much greater opportunities. The 20 constituencies with the highest ranking for opportunity are all in London.

The Sutton Trust, to carry out this research, used an Opportunity Index, which used data from the National Pupil Database (NPD) and the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset, and links educational data for all pupils in state schools in England to earnings and benefit records in adulthood. It looks at those who took their GCSEs in 2002, to those who took them in 2024.

In this research, 'opportunity' considers six key indicators for Free School Meal eligible pupils: school attainment 8 score, post-16 results, percentage of those in sustained education or employment after KS4, percentage with a degree by 22, average earnings at 28, and percentage in sustained employment at age 28.

Using data on over ten million young people across two decades, the Opportunity Index has found that London constituencies occupy 42 of the top 50 constituencies for opportunity.

Overall, East Ham in London is ranked as the top constituency for opportunity in England, with Newcastle Upon Tyne Central and West ranked lowest. Even those these areas have similar levels of free school meal eligibility (37 per cent and 35 per cent), there is a 30 percentage point difference between the proportion of FSM pupils achieving passes in GCSE English and maths, and a 45 percentage point gap in the proportion going on to sustained education or employment after GCSEs.

Average earnings at age 28 are almost £7,000 lower for FSM pupils from Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West compared to East Ham.

Average earnings at age 28 were lowest for FSM from Yorkshire and the Humber (£15,176) and highest in London (£20,080).

Across all regions in Englands, migration from one region to another is connected to achieving higher earnings on average, but young people who are eligible for FSM only benefited from this trend in London and the East of England.

Nick Harrison, CEO of the Sutton Trust, said, ‘This research paints a startling picture of inequality of opportunity across England. The life chances of disadvantaged young people remain strongly tied to where they grow up.

‘If the Government genuinely wants to break down barriers to opportunity, we need serious investment in education and economic opportunities in the ‘left behind’ parts of the UK. Failing to act is damaging the life changes of too many of the next generation.’