The sustained pathway gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils has increased in recent years. Disadvantaged pupils were 9.4% less likely to have a sustained destination after Key Stage 4 than all other pupils, in the academic year of 2022/2023.
Today the Education Policy Institute released its most recent report on school absence and pupil characteristics, analysing the role of disadvantaged characteristics within school success.
Ahead of this week’s school attendance figures by the DfE, Polimapper is analysing the most recent statistics on pupil destinations after Key Stage 4 from the Department for Education. Destinations include apprenticeships, employment and further education.
86.7% of disadvantaged pupils in 2022/2023 were in education, apprenticeship or employment throughout the six months after completing key stage 4 (sustained destination), compared to 95.6% of all other pupils. Additionally, disadvantaged pupils were more likely to enter an employment destination than other students.
On a local level, London areas registered higher rates of disadvantaged students following sustained destinations. This is the case for Kingston upon Thames (94%), Tower Hamlets (93.3%), Harrow (93.2%), and Redbridge (93.2%). Knowsley (76.7%), Blackpool (79.4%) and Derby (80.4%) were where sustained destinations for disadvantaged pupils were less likely.
The highest rates of disadvantaged students entering a sustained employment destination were seen in York (12.9%). This is 5% higher than the highest rate for non-disadvantaged students in employment, 7.5% in Doncaster.
About this map
The map below shows statistics of pupil pathways after completion of key stage 4 per local authority and demographic. To explore detailed figures for your area, double-click on the map or click here to view the full-page version.
Geodata context
The Education Policy Institute’s ‘Breaking down the gap: The role of school absence and pupil characteristics’ report has led to recent discussions on the disadvantage gap in education in the United Kingdom.
The Institute shows concerns for widening disadvantage gaps, particularly within the post key stage 4 phase of education, and highlights that this gap can be traced back to earlier education stages, urging the government to prioritise early intervention.
Additionally, absence rates are also pointed as reason. The EPI calculated that if disadvantaged pupils had the same attendance record as other pupils, the attainment gap at age 16 would be 20% smaller.
Russell Hobby, CEO of Teach First: “Our nation’s most disadvantaged pupils are the most likely to be missing school or discontinuing their education. We are watching both attainment and disadvantage gaps widen, further eroding an entire generation’s futures.”
“Postcodes should never determine a child’s future. Urgent intervention is needed to keep these children in the classroom. We must weight additional funding to schools serving the most disadvantaged areas, enabling schools to unlock the potential in every child.”
Emily Hunt, associate director of social mobility at EPI: “For the first time, we have shown that high and increasing levels of absence among disadvantaged pupils are the primary reason why the disadvantage gap has grown since 2019 and that the government won’t tackle the gap unless it gets to grips with the complex root causes of absence.”
Department for Education spokesperson: “This government inherited a system with a number of baked-in inequalities, and this report is further evidence that the absence epidemic is having a detrimental impact on children’s learning and their future success. Getting more pupils attending school regularly is a top priority for the government.”