New research today lays bare how where you grew up determines young people’s ability to get on in life
Research by the Sutton Trust revealed that the top 20 constituencies for opportunity are all in London, and only eight out of the top 50 are outside the capital.
Meanwhile, the North East and North West are overrepresented among the lowest ranked areas for opportunity, as are constituencies dominated by towns and semi-rural areas.
The social mobility charity has ranked constituencies in England by the school attainment, access to higher education, employment status and earnings of young people eligible for free school meals (FSM) at secondary school.
Overall, East Ham in London is ranked as the top constituency for opportunity in England, with Newcastle Upon Tyne Central and West ranked lowest. The difference in prospects for social mobility between these two constituencies is stark, especially as both areas have similar levels of free school meal eligibility (37% and 35% respectively).
Between these two areas, there is a 30 percentage point difference between the proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals achieving passes in English and maths GCSE, and a 45 percentage point gap in the proportion going on to sustained education or employment after GCSEs. FSM pupils from East Ham are also over three times more likely to have a degree by age 22, at 35%, compared to those in Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West, at 10%.
Young people who had received free school meals in East Ham are also over three times more likely to reach the top fifth of earners, compared to those in Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West (20% compared to 6% respectively). Average earnings at age 28 are almost £7,000 lower for FSM pupils from Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West compared to East Ham.
Moving on up
Across all regions, migration from one region to another is linked to achieving higher earnings on average. However, young people eligible for free school meals only benefited from this trend in London and the East of England.
Carl Cullinane, Director of Research and Policy at the Sutton Trust, explained: ‘While the traditional view of migration is of young people moving to London, the capital actually has the joint highest level of young people moving out to another region by age 28.
‘London and the East of England also have the highest rates for disadvantaged young people moving elsewhere by the age of 28, at 13% compared to just 6% of those from the North East. All 20 constituencies with the lowest proportion of free school meals pupils who leave their region are found in the North East, North West, and Yorkshire and the Humber.’
The research also reveals high levels of inequality in employment and training status across constituencies within the same regions, judging by levels of those not in sustained education, employment or training.
‘We’ve found drastic inequalities of opportunity across the South East, which is typically thought of as a prosperous region’, said Carl Cullinane.
‘Sevenoaks in Kent is the English constituency with the highest proportion of free school meals pupils not in education or employment at the age of 28, at 57%. But Bicester and Woodstock in the same region has the lowest rate at 30%. That’s a huge difference in employment outcomes for the poorest young people even within the same region.’
This research underscores the scale of the Government’s challenge in delivering its mission to ‘Break down barriers to opportunity’. The Sutton Trust is therefore calling for the forthcoming Spending Review to provide investment to tackle educational inequality across the country. This should include reforming the national funding formula for schools, so those facing the highest needs have adequate funding. And pupil premium funding which supports disadvantaged pupils should be increased, as its real terms value has fallen by 20% since 2014/15.
Nick Harrison, CEO of the Sutton Trust, said, ‘This research paints a startling picture of inequality of opportunity across England. The life chances of disadvantaged young people remain strongly tied to where they grow up.
‘If the Government genuinely wants to break down barriers to opportunity, we need serious investment in education and economic opportunities in the ‘left behind’ parts of the UK. Failing to act is damaging the life changes of too many of the next generation.’
