London primaries are key to the success of disadvantaged pupils, research suggests

The study, entitled ‘Understanding the improved performance of disadvantaged pupils in London’, was published by researchers at the Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion (CASE) at the London School of Economics (LSE) and the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) and aimed to understand more about why the performance of disadvantaged pupils has improved more rapidly in London than elsewhere around the country.

Figures show that 48 per cent of children on free school meals achieved at least five or more A*-C grades in their GCSEs in 2013, compared to just 22 per cent in 2002. The increase was smaller among schools outside the capital, with 26 per cent attaining A*-C grades in 2013 and just 17 per cent in 2002.

The research concludes that there has been a rise in the performance of disadvantaged children in London in comparison to neighbouring cities because of the improvements being made to the capital’s schools.

In particular the success is owed to the advances made in primary school education. Progress in the primary school division is said to have played an essential role in initiating the later improvements to secondary schools. The study showed that disadvantaged pupils are not ahead at age 5, before they begin primary education, but do make faster progress than their peers outside of London, once they have begun primary school.

Luke Sibieta of the IFS said: “London schools have become synonymous with educational success, particularly for poorer children. Our research shows that these improvements are not down to a single policy or factor.

“Instead, most of the improvements reflect gradual increases in the quality of schools stretching back to the mid-1990s. London’s primary schools have become particularly successful and London’s great secondary schools can then build on this success.”

The study discovered that students from poorer backgrounds are entering secondary schools with better test scores. By 2008, disadvantaged pupils in inner London were 75 per cent likely to achieve the standard expected level in English at age 11. This compares to a lower 68 per cent in the rest of England.

Jo Blanden, one of the researchers working for CASE, insists the success is simply a result of having very good schools. She says: “London’s schools have become extremely good at helping poor children succeed. This is despite the incredible diversity of their pupils. This success is likely to lead to better jobs and more social mobility among those educated in the capital.”

Read more