The educational opportunities available to children and young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds are important to social mobility. This House of Lords Library briefing provides background information on this issue ahead of a debate on the subject scheduled to take place on 5 March 2020.
Educational Opportunities for Children and Young People from Working-class Backgrounds (337 KB , PDF)
Successive studies and reports have identified educational attainment as one of the factors that influence an individual’s ability to improve their socio-economic position in life. The educational opportunities available to children and young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds are therefore important to social mobility.
The Social Mobility Commission, which monitors progress towards improving social mobility in the UK and promotes social mobility in England, has reported on inequalities within the education sector between disadvantaged children and young people and their more advantaged peers. It has reached the following conclusions about key educational stages applicable to young people:
Section 1 of the Equality Act 2010 includes a public sector duty to reduce inequalities of outcome resulting from socio-economic inequalities. This duty has not been brought into force in England because governments at Westminster have decided not to take the provision forward. They have instead introduced or continued policies aimed at helping improve educational opportunities for children and young people from lower-income backgrounds. In contrast, the Scottish Government has brought the duty into force and the Welsh Government has consulted on doing likewise in 2020.
Educational Opportunities for Children and Young People from Working-class Backgrounds (337 KB , PDF)
In its manifesto ahead of the 2024 general election, the Labour Party stated that if elected it would remove the current exemption from VAT and business rates for independent schools. The impact of this measure has been debated; some estimate a net benefit to the government of £1.3bn to £1.5bn, while others argue it could result in a net cost.
In recent years, many universities have faced financial challenges. This has been attributed to several factors, including the impact of inflation on the real-terms value of tuition fee income from undergraduates, a dependence on international student numbers and increases in the cost of living. These challenges have led to some universities reducing their education provision and staffing allocations.
The House of Lords Education for 11–16 Year Olds Committee argued in a report published in 2023 that “urgent change” was needed in 11–16 education, including revising the curriculum, reducing the volume of exams at 16 and reforming school performance measures. The House of Lords is due to debate the report on 26 July 2024. The Labour government has launched a review of the curriculum and the assessment system, due to report in 2025.
