Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to tackle the disparity in attainment between white British pupils of key stage 4 age who (a) are and (b) are not eligible for free school meals.

The Government is committed to creating a truly meritocratic country, where everyone has a fair chance to go as far as their hard work will take them, regardless of background. To raise standards for all pupils, the Department has already reformed the secondary curriculum, assessment and accountability arrangements. The Department’s GCSE reforms mean that there is a rigorous suite of new qualifications, in line with the standards expected in countries with high performing education systems. The Department has also introduced new progress measures so that schools are accountable for the progress pupils make as well as their attainment.

The Department is aware that the most significant factor affecting pupil attainment, across all ethnicities including white British children, is economic disadvantage. To tackle this, the Department has provided a total of £13.75 billion from April 2011 to March 2018 through the pupil premium to help schools improve the progress and attainment of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Department continues to provide this additional funding, which is £2.4 billion this year alone. Pupils recorded as eligible for free school meals now, or at any point in the last 6 years, are eligible for the pupil premium.