Save the Children: GCSE chances of poorest are a post code lottery, new league table reveals

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Wednesday, 20, Aug 2008 12:00

A new league table has revealed the best and worst places for the poorest students to go to school. The league, compiled for the campaign group End Child Poverty, shows huge differences in the GCSE attainment of the poorest students in different education authorities across England.

In the worst areas fewer than 1 in 4 of the poorest students achieve five good GCSEs. Areas where government has invested in the education of the poorest students show significantly better results, demonstrating that there is no excuse for failing students in poverty, the campaign said.

Top of the league table is Kensington and Chelsea with 59% of the poorest students, who receive free school meals, achieving five A* to C grades in their GCSEs. Bottom of the table is Nottinghamshire, where only 22% of children on free school meals achieved five good GCSEs compared with 59% of students not on free school meals.

Eight of the top ten authorities are in London and overall London is by far the best region for children in poverty to go to school, with an average of 45% gaining five A* to C grades. The average for East Midlands, the worst performing region, is just 29%.

The biggest success story of all is Tower Hamlets, second in the league with 55%. The London borough shows that success for the poorest students does not come at the cost of wealthier students – overall attainment for all students in Tower Hamlets has risen by 33% since 1997.

End Child Poverty attributed London’s success to injections of public money designed to improve standards in the poorest areas. These include initiatives such as the London Challenge, which has pumped £40 million a year into deprived areas of the capital.

“This shows that there is no excuse for failing the poorest students,” said Jason Strelitz, UK poverty spokesman for Save the Children and a member of End Child Poverty, who created the league table. “In areas like London, where national government has invested in improving education for the poorest, they have succeeded. In other areas the GCSE attainment of the poorest students remains alarmingly low.”

The league table was released as part of End Child Poverty’s Keep the Promise Campaign, aimed at holding the Government to its promise of halving child poverty by 2010 and ending it by 2020. The next focus of the campaign is a mass rally in Trafalgar Square on 4 October.

"This is further proof of the difference that investment makes to a disadvantaged child's education,” said Hilary Fisher, Director of the Campaign to End Child Poverty. “It is unacceptable that children have the odds stacked against them simply by default of having poorer parents. The Government must put its money where its mouth is and end child poverty so that all children, no matter their background, have equal chances to achieve a decent education."

% of Poorest Children gaining five good GCSEs – Top 10

% of Poorest Children gaining five good GCSEs – Bottom 10

Attainment of poorest by Region

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

For further information please contact either:

- Benedict Dempsey in the Save the Children Press Office on 020 7012 6841, or out of hours contact the on-call press officer on 07831 650 409

- Sophie Davison or Rebecca Goding at End Child Poverty on 020 7278 3405

The Campaign to End Child Poverty is a coalition of more than 130 organisations working to eradicate child poverty in the UK. It is formed from children's and other charities, social justice groups, faith-groups, trade unions and others concerned about the unacceptably high levels of child poverty in the UK. For more information, visit www.endchildpoverty.org.uk

For more information about the Keep the Promise rally in Trafalgar Square on 4th October – the largest ever event to end child poverty – visit www.endchildpoverty.org.uk/promise

Save the Children is the world’s independent children’s charity. We’re outraged that millions of children are still denied proper healthcare, food, education and protection. We’re working flat out to get every child their rights and we’re determined to make further, faster changes. How many? How fast? It’s up to you. For further information about our work please visit www.savethechildren.org.uk

The comments in this release represent the views of End Child Poverty and do not necessarily reflect the views of member organisations