Disadvantaged children lag behind advantaged peers by 20 months

Disadvantaged children in areas of low social mobility made 20 months less progress than their wealthier peers across England in 2015, according to research released today from Ambition School Leadership.

Ambition School Leadership is a new education charity and the result of a merger of Teaching Leaders and The Future Leaders Trust (TFLT).

Marking its official launch, the charity has released its new ‘Ambitious for Every Child’ report, which examines student progress in the new ‘Opportunity Areas’, identified by the government as areas of low social mobility and targeted with £60 million of investment.

The report finds that persistently disadvantaged students - those who have spent at least 80 per cent of their time in secondary school eligible for free school meals (FSM) - make 20.1 months less progress than the national average for non-disadvantaged students and even make 5.8 months less progress than other children whose families have faced similar sustained poverty in the rest of the country.

Additionally, non-disadvantaged students in Opportunity Areas also make below average progress and Ambition School Leadership believes schools in Opportunity Areas are in particular need of support because the quality of their leadership and management is more likely to fall over time.

James Toop, CEO of Ambition School Leadership, said: “We’re ambitious for every child to achieve their potential but seeing how far students are falling behind in Opportunity Areas means we have to support their schools to improve.

“Our new organisation, Ambition School Leadership, is a chance to make this happen. We develop school leaders – from heads of department to headteachers and beyond – because we know great leaders at all levels make great schools. We’re going to be working even harder to reach these schools and give the children they serve a great education.”