Following the publication of the Schools White Paper, NFER’s Co-Head of UK Policy and Practice, Jude Hillary, said:
“We have long called for changes to the measurement of pupil disadvantage to ensure that funding is accurately targeted at those most in need and to close the attainment gap. We are pleased that the Government has listened to NFER's calls to develop a new measurement of disadvantage, such as our proposals to explore a household income-based measure.
“While we welcome the Department’s ambition to close the disadvantage attainment gap, there needs to be a concerted focus - with commensurate resources - on supporting disadvantaged pupils if the Government is to achieve its goal of reducing the gap by 50 per cent.
"We have highlighted how transitional arrangements, introduced as part of the Universal Credit roll out, and other anticipated changes to free school meal (FSM) eligibility will make it “almost impossible” to continue tracking the disadvantaged attainment gap over the next decade. It is crucial the Department reviews how the disadvantaged attainment gap is measured going forward alongside reviewing funding arrangements, this could include exploring the household income-based disadvantage measure. Adapting the way the gap is measured is critical to ensuring that progress against this new ambition can be adequately and robustly assessed.
"We also welcome the Government's proposed review of funding arrangements for targeting support towards disadvantaged pupils. However, careful consideration will be required to ensure proposals are feasible in practice.”