Deprivation and education

Numerous studies have shown that the relationship between deprivation* and education is crucial for understanding the significant impact deprivation has on later outcomes in adulthood. Deprivation can leave young people with fewer qualifications and skills, which in turn can affect their future employment and earnings, health and social well-being. But as this review reports, there are strategies which schools and individual practitioners can use to help tackle this problem.This Research for Teachers summary describes the findings of a research review that set out to examine the link between deprivation and education. The review is:Deprivation and education: The evidence on students in England, Foundation Stage to Key Stage 4. Schools Analysis and Research Division, Department for Children, Schools and Families (March 2009) The review emphasised that what schools do is important in redressing the imbalance between deprivation and low educational achievement, and that if all schools could achieve the same success for students from deprived backgrounds as the best schools, we might expect to see significant change. Several studies identified examples of strategies that schools and teachers had used successfully to counter the disadvantages experienced by students from deprived backgrounds and to narrow the gap between them and non-free school meal (FSM) students.The review drew together evidence about a number of key issues for schools and teachers, including: which students are deprived the impact of deprivation on educational outcomes why deprived students can fall behind strategies at a classroom level that have been found to be effective for improving achievement outcomes, and whole school approaches that supported the achievement of vulnerable students. We think that teachers of students whose learning is, in one way or another, affected by deprivation, will find the ideas and practice explored in this summary useful. School leaders who have responsibility for allocating students to groups or who provide strategic direction for the teaching of students who are attaining well below the average, and those who manage TAs or other resources aimed at supporting those students will also find this Research for Teachers helpful in exploring effective approaches for their school.Consequently most of this summary explores what schools and their staff have done to counter the effects of deprivation on the learning of a significant number of children. We give details of whom is most affected by deprivation and the main effects, such as the opening up of an attainment gap at key stage 1 between many students from deprived backgrounds and other students, which subsequently widens throughout their time at school. This summary also discusses why many disadvantaged students fall behind, including factors related to material deprivation, ill health, family stress and low levels of parental education.