Tackling educational inequality - CentreForum

Tackling educational inequality
Doubling Deprivation Funding
Government research shows that extra spending has significantly greater
impact on the attainment of deprived pupils than on more affluent
children. This argues for a greater bias of funding towards disadvantaged
pupils. A properly functioning ‘pupil premium’ system would create the
right framework for such a rebalancing of the education budget.
A doubling of deprivation funding would enable the most deprived pupils
in the state sector to receive the same level of per capita funding as in
the private sector. This would cost an estimated £2.4 billion and be
a much more manageable – and efficient – use of funds than Gordon
Brown’s 2006 commitment to bring per capita spending for all pupils to
the level of the private sector, which would cost an extra £17 billion.
As liberals who believe in raising standards by giving parents real choice
and voice, we instinctively baulk at the idea of central planners telling
schools how best to use each pound of the additional deprivation
funding proposed. The list of recommendations in this paper should be
seen, therefore, as a ‘menu’ of options – with prices attached – from
which schools might wish to choose. The precise balance between
the individual reforms should be determined by those with a detailed
knowledge of the school in question.
The reforms put forward include:
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Smaller class sizes at primary school
Significantly more hours of teaching time for disadvantaged
pupils, (including new powers for schools to make longer school
days compulsory, Saturday schools and summer programmes)
‘Hard to Serve’ bonuses, linked to performance related pay
schemes, to attract and reward excellent teaching staff working
in the most challenging schools
An end to poor schooling:
higher aspirations and standards for all
It is important not to fall into a deterministic approach in emphasising
the impact a pupil’s background has on his or her educational prospects.
The quid pro quo for a doubling of deprivation funding is the expectation
that deprivation will no longer be used as an excuse for low attainment.
We need to challenge the poverty of aspiration in our education system,
particularly for the worst performing schools. This paper is optimistic
about the potential for individual schools to make a difference, and is encouraged
by the achievements of a small but growing number of US charter
schools and UK schools in delivering high attainment for deprived children.