Schools White Paper: What to Expect from the Government’s “Blueprint for Opportunity” To Bridge the “Disadvantage Gap”

The government is set to publish its schools white paper on Monday, with reforms that will have a direct impact on the FE sector:

• A new funding model based on household income could reshape the disadvantage landscape for learners entering post-16 education
• Generational reform to SEND aims to deliver better support earlier, a priority shared across schools and colleges
• Place-based ‘Mission’ programmes in the North East and coastal areas will rely on collaboration across the education system, including FE providers

SEND

Life chances for disadvantaged children and children with SEND will be transformed as the government sets out plans this week to rebalance the school system and cut the link between background and success.  

Every Child Achieving and Thriving

The government’s landmark schools white paper, Every Child Achieving and Thriving, set to be published tomorrow (Monday 23 February) will chart a path to halving the gap between outcomes for poorer children and their peers, alongside generational reform to the SEND system.  

Disadvantage gap

The disadvantage gap is as stark today as it was over a decade ago in 2014, with only 44% of poorer children achieving a pass at grade 4 or above in their maths and English GCSEs, compared to over 70% of children who do not receive free school meals. 

This is not the sign of a system delivering high standards for every child, but one that is sidelining too many children. To tackle these stubborn gaps, the government will radically reform the way disadvantage funding is given to schools in order to make sure the system delivers better for children. 

Using household income rather than the binary indicator of whether a child receives free school meals or not, funding could for example be determined by a stepped model, ultimately meaning greater levels of investment for schools supporting the poorest children. 

Building on the revolutionary impact of the London Challenge in the early 2000s, which helped transform educational outcomes across the Capital through collaboration and targeted intervention, and the local innovation that already exists in the school system, the white paper will also set out plans for two new area-based challenges: Mission North East and Mission Coastal. The schemes will drive up outcomes for pupils locally including white working-class children by bringing together schools, parents and communities to develop innovative strategies that will deliver sustained improvement and provide a blueprint for change nationally.  

The white paper cements this government’s view that for too long, schools have been treated as islands rather than one part of their communities, with the old system focused only on what happens when children walk through the school gates. The government’s action to lift the two child benefit cap, put a family hub in every local council and provide 30 hours of early years education are all critical to giving every child the best start in life, ultimately improving life chances for young people and easing pressures on families.    

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: 

“These reforms are a golden opportunity to cut the link between background and success – one that we must seize.

“Our schools have made great strides in recent decades. Yet for too long, many children in our country have been let down by a one-size fits all system, denied opportunity because they’re poor or because they have additional needs.

“Our schools white paper presents the blueprint for opportunity for the next generation, with an education system that truly serves every child, whatever their needs and wherever in the country they grow up.”

The Schools White paper will also set out:  

• A new attendance target to recover 20 million school days per year by the end of the 2028/29AY compared to 2023/24AY, equivalent to 100,000 more pupils attending school full time and the fastest rate of improvement in over a decade. 
• Piloting new retention incentives of up to £15,000 for newly appointed head teachers to work for sustained periods in parts of the country that need them most. 
• School teachers, leaders, and support staff will see their maternity pay boosted for the first time in over 25 years, helping more women to stay on in the profession and thrive. 
• Plans for new ‘School Profiles’ – an information service for every school that will act as a one-stop-shop for parents, showcasing key information around attendance, attainment and enrichment. 
• A commitment to develop minimum expectations for schools around engagement with parents, for example timely communication and high quality transition from primary to secondary. 
• Exploring a new progress measure to better capture the progress and achievements of children who start secondary school significantly behind their peers.   

The government’s new disadvantage model has the potential to significantly rebalance how deprivation funding is distributed to schools, and in turn the level of support that schools with the poorest children receive.    

The model could take into account how low family income is, for how long this has been the case and the place a child lives. It would also remove the need for families to choose to take up the offer of a free meal in order to be eligible for deprivation funding and reduce the administrative burden on schools.   

SEND Reform

This week’s wider reforms to the system for children with SEND will set out how more children can and will receive better support, earlier, closer and without a fight. The plans will build on the investment government has made to-date – notably £3.7bn investment in 60,000 new places for children with SEND and £200m on training to make sure every teacher is a teacher of children with SEND.   

‘Funding’ refers to National Funding Formula Deprivation Funding and the pupil premium. 

Sector Reaction

Nigel Cann, CEO of Sizewell C, said:

“This is an opportunity to highlight how large infrastructure projects such as ours can – and should – also be part of the solution. It’s not just about getting the infrastructure built, it’s about making sure we invest in the youth of Britain as we do so and make strong commitments to put them at the heart of projects like ours. If British infrastructure can do that, we can create the opportunities to help address challenges such as youth unemployment.”