Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the government’s target to halve the disadvantage gap between outcomes for poorer children and their peers.
“We welcome the government’s plans to reduce the disadvantage gap and its recognition that schools cannot do this on their own. Its rollout of family hubs, expansion of early years funding, and measures to reduce child poverty are also important steps in achieving better outcomes for these children. However, further action will be needed to address generational disadvantage and restore a sense of hope to many of our communities.
“We very much agree with the provision of more targeted funding for schools supporting the most disadvantaged children and have advocated for such a measure for several years. However, it is vital that this is done through additional investment into the education system, rather than distributing the same pot of money in a different way, with the risk of creating winners and losers.
“We look forward to discussing this in more detail with the government along with other measures in its white paper, including major reform of the special educational needs system.”