Young people from the UK’s poorest backgrounds face a considerable
educational disadvantage.
They tend to do less well at school than their middle-class peers, they are far less likely to go to university, and they have little chance of ever entering the professions.
Why is this the case?
Because parents who have not been through higher level study may not encourage their children to aspire for a university place.
Because parents in immigrant families may not have the language skills to support their children’s learning at home.
Because some parents, however much they want to be, are not strongly engaged in their children’s learning, and perhaps some are even not that bothered.
Because the home culture – the attitudes of siblings and other family members - may not encourage aspiration and academic achievement.
Because many homes are over-crowded and there is no suitable place for home study.
Because many young people do not wish to stay at school for further study at the end of the school day.
Because schools can only do so much: research shows that home circumstances are a key factor in a young person’s future success.
Because all young people need the support and encouragement which is taken for granted in many middle-class homes.
Find out more
Download a map showing income deprivation affecting children in London.
Watch a short film produced by The Private Equity Foundation that illustrates the link between poverty, underachievement and potential unemployment.
The Evidence
Young people from disadvantaged postcode districts are 4 times less likely to get good GCSEs than students from well-off areas - and 6 times less likely to go to university.
[UCL CASA Working Paper 99, 2005; ‘Young Participation in Higher Education’, HEFCE 2005]
Children from disadvantaged backgrounds are five times more likely to fail academically than their peers.
[www.dfes.gov.uk: KS4 results by eligibility for FSM, 2005]
Children in schools with high proportions of pupils eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) are 2.7 times more likely to fail.
[Improving Poorly Performing Schools in England, NAO,2006]
Young people from less well off homes are finding it more difficult than ever to gain access to Britain’s top jobs. The school leavers who are likely to make it into the professions will come from the 30% most affluent families.
[‘Unleashing Aspiration’, Cabinet Office, July 2009]
73% of young offenders describe their academic attainment as nil.
[A Review of Education and Supporting Arrangements within Units for Juveniles managed by HM Prison Service, 2002]
Independent schools educate only 7% of the UK's children but account for 32% of students at top universities.
[‘Statistics of Education’ HEFCE, 2004]
Find out more by visiting our Research Background page