¾«Æ·SMÔÚÏßӰƬ

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Disadvantage

¾«Æ·SMÔÚÏßӰƬ's position statement on disadvantage

Black and white photo of child jumping over puddle

¾«Æ·SMÔÚÏßӰƬ recognises poverty as one of the most prominent links to educational disadvantage, and we support the DfE’s free school meal (FSM) and pupil premium initiatives as means to supporting pupils from families with less money.ÌýWe also advocate for other policy responses which reduce poverty levels, such as the removal of the two-child benefit cap.ÌýÌý

However, ¾«Æ·SMÔÚÏßӰƬ are of the view that a wider definitionÌýof disadvantageÌýis neededÌýthan just poverty,Ìýin order toÌýhighlightÌýpupil groups that are statistically more likely to experience educational disadvantage beyond the pupil premium measure. These pupil groups include:Ìý

  • Children living in poverty - those in receipt of pupil premium and others who are not eligibleÌý
  • Vulnerability - a child on a child protection plan, child in need plan, an early help plan, accessing the youth offending service, a looked after child or a young carerÌý
  • SEND (special educational needs and disability) – inÌýparticularÌýSEN supportÌý
  • °ä±ð°ù³Ù²¹¾±²Ô ethnic minoritised groupsÌý
  • Those experiencing or struggling with low wellbeing, emotional and/or mental health problemsÌý

¾«Æ·SMÔÚÏßӰƬ acknowledge the attainment gap as an important starting point when measuring and tackling disadvantage. However, we recognise that higher rates of exclusion, challenges with mental health and poor attendance are also symptomatic of educational disadvantage.Ìý

Free school mealsÌý

It is ¾«Æ·SMÔÚÏßӰƬ’s view that every child should have access to hot, nutritious school meals. We welcome the government’s decision to extend free school meals eligibility to all children in families receiving universal credit fromÌýSeptember 2026, andÌýrecognise the benefit it will bring to hundreds of thousands more pupils currently experiencing poverty and food insecurity.ÌýAny expansion in eligibility should be accompanied by sufficient funding to ensure it is deliverable.ÌýWe also support the auto-enrolment of pupils for free school meals, so all eligible pupilsÌýare able toÌýreceive them.Ìý

Pupil premiumÌý

¾«Æ·SMÔÚÏßӰƬ supports the pupil premium initiative to help improve the achievement of disadvantaged pupils. However, we are concerned that its valueÌýhas gradually fallen inÌýreal terms despite schools facing rising costs and increasing responsibilities.ÌýWe are calling for the government toÌýprotect the real-termsÌývalue of pupilÌýpremium andÌýconsider opportunities to extend eligibility to other disadvantaged pupils.Ìý

Find out more about disadvantage