Teach Primary 18.8

www.teachwire.net | 15 particularly for primary pupils, with the country now a strong performer internationally. ...and the bad However, there are also reasons for concern. Perhaps the most fundamental of these is the failure to properly address the socioeconomic attainment gap over this period. Freedman’s report reminds us of the New Labour government’s commitment to tackle and, importantly, fund interventions in this area. This was also claimed as a priority by the successor coalition government, and by the subsequent Conservative government when they first took office. Indeed, there was some progress in narrowing the disadvantage gap (though not for persistently disadvantaged pupils) in the 2010s. That progress was already slowing before the pandemic, and a decade’s worth of progress has now been reversed. Hence we see that, whatever the overall improvements in standards I n the last week of October, the Sutton Trust published a reflective analysis, by education expert Sam Freedman, of the last 20 years of education policy in England ( suttontrust.com/our-research/ lessons-learnt ). The piece reminds us that whatever challenges are facing the education sector, and however difficult it may seem for those working within the system – sometimes just to keep their heads above water – real progress has nonetheless been made. The good news... The long view is useful for recognising how all the efforts of teachers, school leaders, governors and others have benefitted students. There are now also far more pupils staying in post-16 education and achieving tertiary level qualifications than there were 20 years ago. And there’s evidence that pupils’ performance in English, especially reading, has remained relatively steady or shown some improvement over time, in schools, pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds are no nearer to reaping the benefits of that progress. Despite repeated declared intentions by governments of various colours to prioritise closing the attainment gap, the broad trends in education policy that Freedman identifies have failed to do this. That includes the increasing centralisation of setting and measuring standards, the gradual marginalisation of local authorities that previously ran education, and ever more responsibility and autonomy in the day-to-day running of schools for individual school and trust leaders. What now? We are at a pivotal moment for education. Schools face fundamental pressures from poorly maintained buildings, teacher retention and recruitment issues, real-term per-pupil funding cuts, rising mental health issues and increasing SEND diagnoses. If education and wider support services for young people are allowed to slide down the government’s agenda, we can expect another report in 20 years’ time lamenting once again the failure to close the attainment gap. If the attainment gap is allowed to spread and root itself at this early stage, secondary schools are always going to be playing catch-up. And how can already stretched teachers and resources be expected to better support disadvantaged pupils while experiencing these levels of cuts to fundamental support? While additional funding for capital spending in schools, teachers’ pay and free breakfast clubs are all welcome, a far greater amount of money is needed to tackle the substantial issues facing schools today. As such, the Chancellor’s Budget Statement represents a missed chance for the government’s opportunity mission – with no new measures to improve opportunities for those from the poorest homes. Funding needs to be rebalanced back towards schools in the most disadvantaged areas, and we need to see a clear plan from the Government to tackle the attainment gap in schools. TP Kevin Latham is research and policy manager at the Sutton Trust, having previously taught social sciences in a state comprehensive and worked as a university lecturer. Dr Kevin Latham considers where the last two decades of education policy have left us Dr Kevin Latham How did we get here, and what’s next? VO I C E S