Attainment gap 27% higher in areas with highest segregation

For the first time, new analysis reveals a detailed picture of social segregation in England’s schools at a local level. It shows a pattern of some schools accepting fewer students from low-income backgrounds than live in their catchment areas, while other schools have much higher levels of disadvantage. This leads to segregation between pupils from different backgrounds, even within the comprehensive system. Moreover, higher segregation is linked with higher attainment gaps in the most segregated areas.

As secondary schools return from their summer holidays, an interactive map and analysis, published by the Sutton Trust, shows the extent to which the socio-economic profile of school intakes reflect their catchment area, allowing headteachers and parents to compare their school to others in the locality.

Patterns are different across England, with the North East having the highest levels of socio-economic segregation in the country, meaning that free school meal (FSM) eligible pupils are the most unevenly spread across schools in this area. Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Stockton-on-Tees and North Tyneside are in the top ten most segregated local authorities. The North West has the second highest levels of segregation, with Warrington, Liverpool and Trafford in the top ten most segregated local authorities. In contrast, London, the West Midlands and the South West have the lowest levels of segregation on average.

The challenge this poses for social cohesion is significant. In the most segregated area, Solihull, 32% of pupils would need to be redistributed across schools in order to achieve an even spread of disadvantaged pupils. In the least segregated area, Torbay, this figure is only 6%. The most segregated areas were more likely to be in urban locations, with lower levels of ethnic diversity, and high numbers of faith schools.

Critically, the research shows that segregation is correlated with attainment gaps between richer and poorer pupils. Local Authorities with high levels of segregation also have larger attainment gaps in GCSE grades between their least and most disadvantaged pupils. Areas with the highest segregation had gaps in the pass rates in English and maths that were 27% higher than in areas with low segregation.

This research expands on Selective Comprehensive 2024, published by the Sutton Trust in January, which revealed that even the top 500 comprehensive schools in England have a significant gap between the rates of pupils eligible for Free School Meals in the local area, and the FSM rates of their actual intakes. It also showed that 155 comprehensives are more socially selective than the average grammar school. Today’s research shows the impact that social selection has on local areas, and the state education system as a whole. But it also shows that there are a number of areas with very low segregation, and change is achievable.

To address these issues the Sutton Trust is calling on the Government to review admissions code policies to require inclusion of pupil premium eligibility in schools’ oversubscription criteria, as well as including an assessment of fair access in Ofsted inspections. It says the government should also address financial barriers such as transport and uniform costs, which can be considerable at some schools.

School leaders should carry out their own fair access reviews, and take steps to change their admissions policies, as well as removing financial barriers to attendance at their school. 90% of secondary schools now develop their own admissions policies, giving them power to ensure that all young people have a fair opportunity to join their school.

Through the Trust’s Fair School Admissions Pledge and Award, it is providing free support and recognition to schools that want to make change. Over the last school year, 50 schools including several Multi-Academy Trusts and Local Authorities, committed to the Fair School Admissions Pledge. Applications for schools wishing to take part over the Autumn term close on 13th September. Schools can find out more at https://www.suttontrust.com/fair-school-admissions/.

Sir Peter Lampl, Founder of the Sutton Trust and Founder of the Education Endowment Foundation, said:

“Levels of social segregation across the state school system are not acceptable. The school you attend matters, but in practice youngsters from disadvantaged backgrounds are much less likely to attend a top performing secondary school than their more affluent peers, even if there is one in their area.

“Having a better mix of pupils helps to level the playing field for all families, regardless of their socio-economic background.

“We need to address this problem and create a more balanced system across the country. Reviewing school admissions codes, to ensure that all state schools take a mix of pupils which reflect their local community, is a way to make a significant difference to social cohesion.”

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Notes to editors:

  • Segregation is measured by the Index of Dissimilarity, to determine how evenly disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils are spread across schools across England’s local authorities. It produces a score of between 0 and 1. Where 0 means no segregation, that is all schools have the same rate of disadvantaged pupils in the local authority. A score of 1 would mean all disadvantaged pupils go to one set of schools, all non-disadvantaged pupils attend a different set of schools, with no mixing. A simple interpretation of the score is that it represents the proportion of pupils who would need to move schools in order to achieve an even spread of the groups. So, a score of 0.33 would mean that 33% of pupils would need to move schools.
  • The interactive map shows free school meal eligibility levels of Year 7 pupils in every school over 3 years, as well as the gap with the neighbourhoods from which they draw their students. It can be filtered by school type, overall levels of FSM pupils, as well as GCSE performance measures Progress 8 and Attainment 8. It has a quick search function to find individual schools, and can show overall national patterns, as well as the local dynamics in intakes.