England Targets Closing Education Gap for Disadvantaged Pupils

(MENAFN) The UK government has announced plans to reduce by half the academic performance gap between disadvantaged pupils and their classmates in England. The goal is to achieve this milestone by the time children born during the current parliamentary term complete their secondary education.

According to reports, the commitment will be formally outlined in a forthcoming Schools White Paper scheduled for release on Monday.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the proposed changes are designed to dismantle what she described as a rigid, uniform approach to schooling that has prevented children from less privileged backgrounds from reaching the same levels of achievement as others. She argued that the existing framework has limited opportunities for many students.

At the same time, the reforms are expected to introduce sweeping and potentially contentious adjustments to the system supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Such changes would require approval from Labour lawmakers.

A central part of the strategy focuses on narrowing the divide between the highest- and lowest-performing pupils by revising how schools allocate funding intended for disadvantaged students. Ministers believe that reshaping financial support mechanisms will play a key role in tackling inequality.

Phillipson has said: "These reforms are a golden opportunity to cut the link between background and success - one that we must seize."

She added: "Our Schools White Paper presents the blueprint for opportunity for the next generation, with an education system that truly serves every child, whatever their needs and wherever in the country they grow up."

Information circulating ahead of the official announcement indicates that the government also intends to reconsider how support is granted to children with SEND as they progress through school. Beginning in 2029, pupils in England who hold education, health and care plans (EHCPs) — legally binding documents that set out their entitlement to additional assistance — are expected to undergo reassessment after finishing primary school as part of broader structural reforms.

Reports further suggest that these changes would coincide with an expansion of statutory rights, ensuring that all children with SEND are covered through school-managed Individual Support Plans (ISPs), integrating additional protections within the mainstream education system.

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