EPI says achieving target of halving the gap will require ‘laser-like focus’
The Education Policy Institute (EPI) have used their annual report to set out new analysis of the disadvantage gap in England, which it says poses an ‘early challenge’ to the incoming Prime Minister – expected to be Andy Burnham.
The schools white paper, Every Child Achieving and Thriving, published earlier this year, set a target to halve the disadvantage gap by the time the current generation of children finishes secondary school. However the EPI finds that on current trends, that ambition is moving further out of reach, with post-pandemic gains having stalled or reversed across all phases of education.
In their analysis, the EPI uses a new measure of disadvantage based on whether a learner has ever been eligible for free school meals (Ever FSM), replacing their previous measure of FSM eligibility within the previous six years (FSM6). As well as socio-economic disadvantage, the report also analyses attainment gaps based on gender, ethnicity, English as an additional language (EAL), Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), and geography. Socio-economic disadvantage gaps remain wider than before the pandemic at every phase, with the difference particularly stark in the early years. Compared with 2019, this disadvantage gap increased by 17 per cent in the early years, nine per cent at key stage 2, five per cent at GCSE, and two per cent in 16-19 education.
Looking at other measures, gaps for pupils receiving SEND support narrowed for older age groups, but in reception year remained above pre-pandemic levels and, in the case of pupils with EHCPs, remained at their highest levels on record. On ethnicity, between 2019 and 2025 most ethnic groups improved their attainment relative to White British pupils. More recent changes, however, show that some of these gains began to reverse at GCSE between 2024 and 2025. Meanwhile geographically, London continues to outperform all other regions for its disadvantaged learners, with the West Midlands consistently having the second smallest disadvantage gap across phases. However pupils in the South East and South West have experienced some of the largest increases in the gap since the pandemic.
The report includes eleven targeted recommendations which the EPI suggest would get the government on track to meeting the target. These include a call to improve both access to and the quality of early years education, with funding for 30 hours of early education for all families (including those currently out of work). They also want the government to introduce enhanced funding for children and young people living in persistent disadvantage (defined as those who have been eligible for FSM for at least 80 per cent of their time at school), and extend the pupil premium to 16-19 year olds (currently it stops at 16).
Commenting on the report, the EPI’s chief executive Julie McCulloch said the growing size of the disadvantage gap was ‘absolutely not’ a reason for the government to abandon their target of halving it, but instead ‘presents a concrete challenge to be far more exacting about the mechanisms for hitting it’. She added: ‘The next Prime Minister inherits a clear pledge and a difficult starting position. What happens next should not be a reset or a retreat from that ambition. Instead, we need a laser-like focus on whether current structures, systems and resources are enough to actually deliver it. This is particularly crucial for the children who have fallen furthest behind, who are too often those who have grown up in long-term poverty or have other vulnerabilities such as special educational needs. Commendable intentions got us a target. We need a credible, long-term delivery plan to achieve it’.