Commenting on the publication by the Sutton Trust of a new Opportunity Index, ranking each constituency in England by their social mobility prospects, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
“For too many children, their ability to succeed depends on where they grow up. We must dismantle the structural causes of this inequality. Education can provide young people with opportunities to thrive, but schools need to be properly supported to deliver it. The National Funding Formula has been shifting resources from schools that are most in need towards those which are most well off. We need a better funding deal for all education, and a readjustment of the formula to make sure the most disadvantaged schools get the support they need.
“Another vital step towards levelling the playing field between the capital and the rest of the country would be for the government to follow the Mayor of London’s lead by investing in children with free school meals for all.
“Beyond the school gates, to make real headway in bringing down these gross inequalities the government must focus on increasing families’ incomes. The cruel sibling tax in the form of the two-child limit and benefit cap disproportionately affects children in the north of England. The government must start by scrapping these, to ensure that, regardless of where they grow up, no child is left behind.”