New EPI report highlights widening disadvantage gap at age five
By Shannon Pite
The most disadvantaged children are continuing to fall behind their peers at age five, new research from the Education Policy Institute (EPI) has found.
According to analysis of early years attainment data, disadvantaged children were 4.6 months behind their peers in 2023, compared to 4.2 in 2019. By the time children reach the age of 16, disadvantaged students are three grades behind their peers, while persistently-disadvantaged pupils (those eligible for free school meals for at least 80 per cent of their school lives) are almost two years behind.
The report also found that the gap for reception-aged children on SEN support and those with EHCPs has increased to its widest on record.
Commenting, Emily Hunt, associate director for social mobility and vulnerable learners at the EPI, said:
鈥淐oncerningly, not only are disadvantage gaps for 11 and 16 year olds at their widest levels since 2011, we are seeing worrying trends for children just starting school. That gaps at age 5 are widening across disadvantaged and vulnerable groups 鈥 as well as being at record levels for children with SEND 鈥 highlights the scale and breadth of challenges facing schools and the importance of the earliest years of life."
Neil Leitch, CEO of the 无码天堂, commented:
鈥淭here is a wealth of research showing that high-quality early education plays an absolutely critical role in narrowing the disadvantage gap at the earliest opportunity. How can it be right, then, that under the current policy approach in this country, a child鈥檚 ability to access funded early years provision is almost entirely dependent on their household income?
鈥淎s the rollout of early entitlement expansion continues, we urge the new government to make equality of access a policy priority. This means reviewing the eligibility criteria for the existing entitlement offers, and ensuring that there is adequate financial support for providers delivering places to children from disadvantaged backgrounds 鈥 by, for example, increasing early years pupil premium funding to primary levels.
鈥We鈥檙e clear that every child 鈥 and especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds 鈥 should be able to reap the rewards of early education. We hope that, going forward, access to early education will be viewed not as a luxury, but as a fundamental right.鈥
The full report is available on the .