Commenting on the Queen’s Speech, Carole Willis, Chief Executive at the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) said:
“We hope the Government is serious about levelling up the attainment outcomes and prospects of children across the country rather than simply squaring up the amounts of hard cash received by schools. A fully academised school sector is not the silver bullet to achieve this aim.
“Our research shows there is a substantial attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers which has increased following the pandemic. Additional support must be put in place for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds who otherwise risk being left further behind.”