by Jess Gibson
Disadvantaged and vulnerable children are facing “enduring” and, in some cases, “worsening” disparities across England, particularly in the early years, the latest Education Policy Institute’s (EPI) annual report has found.
The report highlights a range of “complex challenges” where poverty, ethnicity, geography and gender “all interact to compromise the life chances of some of the country’s most vulnerable children”.
It further states that while there has been little progress in closing the attainment gap between vulnerable groups and their peers, the “most concerning area” is the early years sector. According to the report, there has been a continued widening of this attainment gap since at least 2019, “particularly for economically disadvantaged young children and those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)”, while previous EPI research has shown that, by age five, 40% of the attainment gap noted at age 16 has already emerged.
The EPI report suggests a range of government policy recommendations to counter these disparities, including:
-
assessing the adequacy of funding for disadvantage across all phases and improving its targeting, as well as weighting funding towards persistently disadvantaged children
-
publishing the delayed child poverty strategy and backing it with funded commitments
-
prioritising training in child development and different types of SEND in addition to making it a mandatory part of initial teacher training and early career development
-
implementing an absence strategy that addresses the root causes of absence, with improved SEND identification, better mental health support, and initiatives to foster children’s sense of belonging.
The data collected in this report builds upon the work of the former Education Committee’s 2021 inquiry, which highlighted “persistent and multigenerational disadvantage” – among other factors, such as geographical location and regional investment – as reasons underlying the growing attainment gap.
Neil Leitch, CEO of the Early Years Alliance, said: “Over recent years, ministers from across the political spectrum have spoken at great length about the importance of closing the gap, improving children’s life chances and, most recently, breaking down barriers to opportunity. It is incredibly disappointing, therefore, to see that the attainment gap between disadvantaged children and their peers is continuing to widen.
“We know that access to quality early education is critical to ensuring that all children – and that without question includes children with special educational needs or disabilities – get the best possible start in life. And yet, the fact is that chronic underfunding and a worsening staffing crisis – alongside government policies that prioritise capacity building over quality, such as the relaxation of ratios – have made this an uphill challenge.
“As such, while we welcome the government’s renewed focus on the quality of provision, as outlined in the Best Start for Life strategy, as these findings make clear, the scale of the challenges we are facing cannot be underestimated. It is critical, therefore, that early years providers are given the support they need to deliver the quality care and education that we know makes such a difference to young children’s lives.”