Latest news with #Institute for Government
The Independent
20 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Disadvantaged white pupils have ‘particularly poor' education outcomes
Areas of the country where disadvantaged pupils perform worse are more likely to have large populations of poor white children, a report has suggested. The Institute for Government (IfG) think tank has said disadvantaged white pupils in England have 'particularly poor educational outcomes'. An analysis by the IfG looks at the 'high-impact' group of pupils – those for whom disadvantage disproportionately affects their performance – which it said is made up mostly of white British pupils. Local authority areas in the bottom fifth for the performance of disadvantaged pupils were 'disproportionately likely' to have 'above-average' shares of disadvantaged pupils from the high-impact group (or from white backgrounds), it found. GCSEs in 2023-24" data-source="IfG study"> It comes after the Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said it was a 'national disgrace' that so many white working-class children are being 'written off' in the education system. Tens of thousands of pupils across England, Wales and Northern Ireland are due to receive their GCSE results on Thursday. Many of the pupils who are waiting for their exam results were in Year 6 when schools closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The report from the IfG analyses pupil performance at Key Stage 2 (Year 6) – the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths – at a local authority level to try to understand local variation. It suggests educational inequalities have 'grown wider and more pronounced' across England and among demographic groups since the Covid-19 pandemic. The think tank has said tackling high absence rates – particularly among disadvantaged pupils – 'will be key' to narrowing educational inequalities. Recent Department for Education figures show that the number of children in England classed as 'severely absent', which means they missed at least 50% of possible school sessions, rose to nearly 150,000 in autumn 2024. Amber Dellar, IfG researcher and report author, said: 'The pandemic has undone much of the last decade's progress in tackling educational inequalities, leaving some areas and groups of children far behind. 'The Government's opportunity mission is a good starting point for narrowing the gaps, but it lacks a clear vision or plan for delivering that goal in schools. 'Any serious plan must focus on helping schools share what works in supporting disadvantaged pupils and reducing their high rates of absence.' Ms Phillipson told the PA news agency that her focus will be turning around the attainment gap between white working-class pupils and their peers. Fewer than a fifth (18.6%) of white British pupils eligible for free school meals achieved at least a grade 5 – which is considered a 'strong pass' – in their English and maths GCSEs in 2023-24, compared to 45.9% of all state school pupils in England. Earlier this month, the Education Secretary told PA: 'They're not well positioned to carry on with studies, to get an apprenticeship, to go on to university. 'That is why the schools White Paper we will be publishing in the autumn will set out an ambitious vision for how we can tackle this generational challenge of what many young people experience. '(It) is a national disgrace that so many young people are written off and don't get what they need to achieve and thrive.' A Department for Education spokesperson said: 'Tackling the baked-in inequalities in our education system will take time, but through our plan for change this Government is taking action against the root causes that we know are holding young people back. 'We are driving high and rising standards for every child through the expert-led Curriculum and Assessment Review, new Rise teams and strengthened school accountability. 'This comes alongside work to tackle disadvantage, including expanding free school meals, rolling out free breakfast clubs and revitalising family services in every local authority. 'But we know there is more to do, which is why we will bring about the reforms needed through our Schools White Paper later this year to create an education system where every child can thrive, regardless of their background.'
Daily Mail
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Poor white pupils' low test scores exposed amid fears they've been 'written off' in 'national disgrace'
Areas where poor pupils perform the worst are disproportionately white, a report has found. A study from the Institute for Government (IfG) suggests ethnicity may be a factor in how badly poverty impacts on educational attainment. The think tank said disadvantaged white pupils have 'particularly poor educational outcomes' in terms of attainment in Year 6 Sats. It comes after official data showed only 3 per cent of British white pupils from low income families attend a top university – one of the least successful groups. Last week, Bridget Phillipson said it was a 'national disgrace' that so many white working class children were 'written off' and failed to achieve their potential. The IfG report referenced previous research which found this demographic is overrepresented in rural and coastal areas where there is 'lower funding… higher teacher vacancies, longer travel times and worse digital infrastructure'. The report adds: 'Factors from children's home environments, such as varying aspirations among parents from different ethnic backgrounds, also likely play a role.' The IfG analysis found that for some ethnicities, such as Chinese, disadvantaged children performed almost the same as their more advantaged peers in the Year 6 Sats. There was just a 1 percentage point gap between them in terms of proportions meeting the 'expected level' in the tests. However, for white British children, there was a 26 percentage point difference between disadvantaged and more advantaged – and neither group performed as well as the Chinese students. The report examined the councils in England and identified the 'bottom fifth' for performance of disadvantaged pupils. It found the vast majority of these had 'above average shares' of white children within their population of disadvantaged pupils. On average nationally, 67 per cent of disadvantaged primary school pupils are white. The think tank has said tackling high absence rates – particularly among disadvantaged pupils – 'will be key' to narrowing educational inequalities. Report author Amber Dellar said: 'The pandemic has undone much of the last decade's progress in tackling educational inequalities, leaving some areas and groups of children far behind. 'Any serious plan must focus on helping schools share what works in supporting disadvantaged pupils and reducing their high rates of absence.' Separate data shows only 18.6 per cent of deprived white British pupils achieved at least a grade 5 –considered a 'strong pass' – in their English and maths GCSEs in 2023-24, compared to 45.9 per cent of all pupils. A Department for Education spokesman said: 'Tackling the baked-in inequalities in our education system will take time, but through our Plan for Change this government is taking action against the root causes that we know are holding young people back. 'We are driving high and rising standards for every child through the expert-led Curriculum and Assessment Review, new RISE teams and strengthened school accountability. 'This comes alongside work to tackle disadvantage including expanding free school meals, rolling out free breakfast clubs and revitalising family services in every local authority. 'But we know there is more to do, which is why we will bring about the reforms needed through our Schools White Paper later this year to create an education system where every child can thrive, regardless of their background.'
Times
30-07-2025
- Business
- Times
Civil service numbers at 20-year high despite pledge to cut costs
The civil service is becoming increasingly top-heavy as thousands of staff are hired despite a pledge to cut costs. There were 549,660 civil servants at the end of March. This is up almost 7,000 on the same time last year, putting the size of Whitehall at a 20-year high. The civil service has now grown by a third since Brexit and pay rose 5 per cent last year. Critics say staff are 'over-promoted' as a way of boosting salaries. The latest figures show 75 per cent of staff are in management roles and above, compared with 60 per cent a decade ago. Civil service middle management, known as grades 6 and 7, grew 5 per cent last year after doubling over the previous decade. Growth in the top ranks of Whitehall also accelerated, up 3.2 per cent last year. 'It is a continuation of the grade inflation story', said Alex Thomas, programme director at the Institute for Government, an independent think tank. 'Every grade except [the lowest] administrative grade grew last year.' While pay at each rank of the service has fallen significantly in real terms, the overall pay bill is now higher than it was in 2010 as staff become more senior. After coalition-era cuts, the civil service fell to a low of 418,340 in 2016 before beginning to rise again as government took on more responsibility as a result of Brexit. The Conservatives made a series of pledges to cut the civil service after the Covid pandemic but it has continued to grow every year. Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, has promised to cut costs by 15 per cent, although she has not set a target on staff numbers. Thomas said it was too soon to know if that pledge was working, but said a fall in the number of staff moving between departments suggested the civil service was 'gumming up'. 'Less churn is a good thing but it's not clear whether people are staying in their jobs to become more expert — more likely it's a response to recruitment freezes,' he said. The figures do show, however, that the civil service is becoming more diverse. Women now make up 49 per cent of the senior civil service. A record 18 per cent of civil servants are from ethnic minorities, up from 11 per cent a decade ago, while the proportion of disabled staff has doubled to 18 per cent. Alex Burghart, the shadow Cabinet Office minister, said the rise in numbers was 'the direct result of Labour's failure to act. We set out plans to reduce the size of the civil service to pre-pandemic levels, plans which would have saved £1 billion a year, but Labour scrapped these after taking office and since then have only worsened the problem with their continual surrender to the unions, and their creation of 41 new quangos.' A government spokesman said: 'These increases are driven by operational frontline roles. We have set out plans to reduce back office costs by 15 per cent over the next five years, delivering savings of over £2 billion a year by 2030 and targeting spending on frontline services. 'We have already announced a new cross-government fund for exit schemes to reduce staffing numbers over the next two years, as well as introducing measures to make it quicker and easier to remove poor performers from post.'
