WWC0008

Written evidence submitted by Leicester City Council, Learning Services

Commons Select Inquiry into Underachievement in Education by White Working Class Children –

 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

 

  1. Learning Services is the part of Leicester City Council with responsibility for improvement and support services to over 100 City schools. One of the priorities of the City Mayor’s Development plan is to raise achievement in Leicester to national averages and higher, and to narrow the gap between the lowest achievers and other children and young people. In recent years there have been significant improvements in education standards locally. 63 out of 102 inspections of schools in Leicester at August 2013 were judged good and twelve outstanding but three were judged inadequate. Key aims of the Local Authority Children’s and Young People’s Plan and Raising Achievement Strategy are to close the performance gaps between local and national, to address  underachievement and  to improve attainment amongst ethnic groups where there is a trend of underperformance. Learning Services have chosen to respond to this inquiry to investigate ways in which they can work with their strategic partners to improve outcomes for the white working class group.

 

  1. There is much that is positive about Leicester. It is celebrated for its ethnic diversity and cohesive community relations. However, with a population of over 300,000, Leicester is the largest city in the East Midlands, the tenth largest in England and the 25th most deprived local authority in the country. Poverty affects almost three quarter of the city’s population. 35.3% of children and young people between 0-19 in Leicester live in poverty. An increasing reliance on benefits, coupled with low skills, unemployment and poor health presents considerable challenges (T.Roberts-Thomson, 2010). Despite the large ethnic population, Leicester’s largest ethnic group still remains a White British community with a majority working class representation in this community. In parts of Leicester the white working class culture is characterised by low aspirations and negative attitudes towards education.

 

 

  1. To identify the white working class group for the focus of this inquiry we have considered data relevant to the White British (WBRI) group and those pupils who are considered disadvantaged using the proxy indicator of having been eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) at any time in the past six years and thus in receipt of the Pupil Premium.

THE EXTENT OF WHITE WORKING CLASS PUPILS’ EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT:

  1. Foundation Stage outcomes

 

Pre-2013 data show that White British pupils do less well than their peers in Leicester and are over-represented amongst pupils falling in the lowest 20% performance band for the LA, with increasingly more FSM pupils represented (2010 - 23%, 2011-26%, 2012-27%) than non-FSM. In 2013 fewer disadvantaged White British pupils were at a good level of development in all prime areas plus literacy and maths (25%) than their non-disadvantaged peers (35.1%).

 

  1. Key Stage 1 & 2 outcomes

 

Figure One

 

 

 

 

 

 

                        Source: LA RAISE Online, 2013

Key Stage1

Locally overall performance at the end of Key Stage 1 is below national. In 2012 the percentage of Key Stage 1 White British boys eligible for free school meals (FSM) who attained level 2b or above was 61% for reading, compared to 74% locally or 76% nationally (15% gap). The corresponding figure for writing was 42% compared to 62% locally and 64% nationally (22%) gap. In mathematics 67% of FSM White British boys attained level 2b or above compared to the LA average of 74% and the national figure of 76% (9% gap) as shown in Figure One. Although these outcomes mark a closing of the gap on previous performance, White British disadvantaged boys perform below their peers and below the outcomes for White British girls except in mathematics. ‘Low outcomes at the end of Key Stage 1 influence attainment outcomes at the end of subsequent key stages.’ (S.Welford, Education Performance Summary, 2012).

  1. Progress Key Stages 1-2

Five-year performance data outlining the percentage of pupils achieving expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics shows White British boys performing consistently below the LA average and below girls in reading and writing although narrowing the gap in 2013. In mathematics White British boys have shown an upwards trajectory, narrowing the gap with LA averages and performing better than girls. Progress outcomes for the White British disadvantaged group as a whole over a five year period show consistently lower performance than their non-disadvantaged peers and the LA averages in reading, writing and maths as shown in Figures Two, Three and Four.

 

 

 

Figure Two

 

 

 

 

 

 

                             Source : Datanet, Leicester 2013

Figure Three

 

 

 

 

 

 

                      

 

                                Source : Datanet, Leicester, 2013

Figure Four

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                           Source: Datanet, Leicester, 2013

 

 

  1. Percentage of pupils achieving level 4 and above at Key Stage 2

At Key Stage 2 the performance of White British pupils is a concern. The five year trend of the performance in reading, writing and maths from 2009-13 shows a consistent gap in performance between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged White British pupils overall. In 2013 the gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged White British pupils was 16% for reading, 17% for writing and 15% for Maths. In 2012 84% of FSM White British boys made expected progress in English compared to 89% of pupils nationally. Although this was an improvement on last year’s progress in English for FSM pupils (73%), it still fell short of the LA percentage of 91% and the FSM White British girls’ percentage of 88% (Figure Five). Equally, White disadvantaged boys perform less well than their peers nationally for Level 4+ in English and Maths. Therefore, when the White British group is considered as a whole, both girls and boys perform less well than their peers nationally and boys perform less well than girls overall (S.Welford, Education Performance Summary, 2012).

Figure Five                                                                               

 

 

 

 

                                                        Source: RAISEonline at 10 September 201

  1. Key Stage 4 Outcomes

In 2012 there was a notable difference between the percentage of WWC boys on FSM making expected progress in English (41%) when compared to their peers (70%) and to national (67%) and local (71%) percentages. White working class girls’ expected progress in English in 2012 (57%) equally fell short of that of their peers (81%) and of local and national percentages. In Maths, the percentages for expected progress were of even greater concern with only 37% of White British boys eligible for FSM making expected progress compared to 58% of non-disadvantaged boys and 62% of pupils at LA level and 68% of pupils nationally. For White girls in receipt of FSM the figure was 41%.

 

  1. Despite an upward trend in the attainment of 5A*-C including English and Maths amongst students in Leicester generally over the past five years, 2012 saw a drop in the performance for all pupils locally compared to a small improvement nationally. This was in part attributed to a fall in the performance of boys. Since 2010 there has been a steady increase in the percentage of White British boys in receipt of FSM achieving 5A*-C including English and Maths at GCSE  and equivalent but the performance of the group in 2012 (25%)  was  still well below local ( 51%) and national (58%) averages. The percentage of White British girls on FSM attaining 5A*-C including English and Maths in 2010 was equally as low as their male counterparts at 15%. This percentage increased to 35% in 2012 with a gap of 23% with national averages.

 

  1. Locally, White British pupils perform less well than their peers nationally with boys doing less well than girls; in 2012 there was more than a 10% points gap between the 5 A*-C performance of local White British boys and their peers nationally. Although in Leicester the achievement gap between disadvantaged pupils and their non-disadvantaged peers is lower than the gap nationally, there is a higher proportion of students who are classified as disadvantaged making this an area of priority for the City (S.Welford, 2012).
  2. Key Stage 5 outcomes for 16-19 year olds

The gap in attainment increases across the Key stages and by 19 it is significant. Prior attainment at Key Stage 4 impacts on student performance at Key stage 5. At Key Stage 5 females attain consistently better than males and White British males are amongst the groups that consistently perform less well. For one very large group of Leicester young people – White boys – almost one half fail to attain Level Two by age 19 after five years of secondary education and, for many, a further three years in post-16 education and training The future for these under-attaining groups is bleak, risking unemployment and low paid work.( A.Suddaby, The Leicester 13-19 Partnership board,19 January 2012).

 

  1. NEET –Not in Education, Employment or Training

Students will not improve their attainment if they are not participating in the education and training system available. In August 2013 13.2% of White British students were NEET. Such pupils who already had low attainment at Key Stage 4 will fall further behind peers the longer they remain NEET (A.Suddaby, 2012).

 

  1. Progression rates at Key Stage 5:

Different progression and repetition rates are exhibited by different ethnic groups which impact on their attainment at 19. 90% of Asian females who attain level 2 at 16 progress directly to a level 3 qualification whereas only approximately 50% of White males do so. Instead, a higher number of White males repeat level 2 qualifications post-16 (most often by studying a vocational qualification), delaying their entry to level 3 and thus  reducing the potential of attaining this level by the age of 19 (A.Suddaby, 2012 - see Figure Six). Two thirds of Asian females who attain Level One at 16 progress to Level Two.  Conversely, only about 20% (one in five) White males make this progression, with four out of five remaining at Level One (A.Suddaby, 2012). 

Figure Six

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Having started behind, White British males fall further behind their peers over the course of their three years between 16 and 19.  The outcome is that almost a half of the young people in 2010 failed to attain even a Level Two after up to 14 years in the education system (A.Suddaby, 2012).

 

 

  1. FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR WHITE WORKING CLASS PUPILS’ UNDERACHIEVEMENT

There are a number of factors that impact on pupils’ attainment. Non-attendance at school either by choice or because of exclusions will impact on learning and subsequently on attainment. Exclusions data for the White group of which White British is a large subset shows that generally this group is more likely to be excluded from school than other ethnicities. 2012 to 2013 data shows that, of the population of pupils excluded from school, boys are more likely to be excluded whatever the ethnicity and White female FSM have higher numbers of exclusions when compared to all other ethnicities’ cumulative data.             

  1. Poverty and prior educational attainment are key factors. The percentage of children in poverty in 2012 by ward are :

It is no coincidence that the lowest performing schools in Leicester are in the west of Leicester.

 

  1. ‘Think Family’ is a local initiative to support troubled families and is triggered where the household contains one or more young person of school age with multiple and complex needs related to crime or education and worklessness. Three or more exclusions or 15% attendance in the last school term triggers support and the negative impact of these factors on attainment is inevitable. Large numbers of cases are located in the most deprived areas of the city. At September 2013, 1027 of 1440 targeted pupils were White and of 516 cases triggered by education issues 359 were for White young people and 219 of these were for white boys.

 

  1. Whilst there is some excellent practice in the City to address WWC underachievement, schools and colleges responding to our inquiry suggested that the following factors impact on educational attainment :
  1. IS THE PROBLEM WORSE FOR BOYS?
  2. WHAT STEPS SCHOOLS/COLLEGES CAN TAKE?

 

  1. WIDER RANGE OF EDUCATIONAL  APPROACHES

Responses from local schools suggest programmes to raise aspirations, improve self-esteem as well as academic intervention.  Approaches used include:

 

 

  1. WHAT ROLE GOVERNMENT CAN PLAY

 

September 2013