{"id":231401,"date":"2025-06-23T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-23T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/?p=231401"},"modified":"2025-09-19T16:27:00","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T15:27:00","slug":"is-key-stage-3-a-barrier-to-opportunity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/is-key-stage-3-a-barrier-to-opportunity\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Key Stage 3 a barrier to opportunity?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Later this year, we will be publishing the long-term outcomes of participants in the last Labour government\u2019s \u2018Gifted and Talented\u2019 programme, which was abolished by the Conservatives in 2010. In the meantime, my ongoing research reveals why the current Labour administration must focus its attention on this group again to deliver its ambition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a major project funded by the Nuffield Foundation<\/a>, I am currently conducting the largest investigation into high-achieving pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds in England to date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These young individuals, despite their challenging upbringings, have shown great academic potential early in life. They possess the essential skills to excel in school and are well positioned to climb the socioeconomic ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This should make this group a key target for policymakers aiming to enhance diversity in top universities and high-status careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, these children still face significant hurdles in realising their full potential, in and out of school, but also through it and beyond it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This research has produced a range of evidence across several outcomes, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Attendance<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As high-achieving disadvantaged children enter secondary school, their level of absence sharply rises. This is a particular challenge for high-achieving disadvantaged pupils of white and mixed-race ethnicity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exclusions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

By Year 10, the fixed-term exclusion rate is much higher for disadvantaged high achievers than for high achievers from advantaged socio-economic backgrounds (5.4 per cent versus 1.2 per cent). This is especially the case for high-achieving, disadvantaged black boys (10.7 per cent).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crime<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A similar socioeconomic gap emerges in police cautions\/sentences by age 16 among high-achieving pupils, standing at 2.5 per cent versus 0.5 per cent for the most and least disadvantaged groups respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Education<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A series of studies now demonstrates how disadvantaged high-achievers start falling behind equally high-achieving pupils from affluent backgrounds between the ages of 11 and 14.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, among 5-year-olds with similar levels of cognitive ability, the chances of achieving a grade 7 or above in GCSE mathematics differs by around 25 percentage points among those with top Key Stage 2 scores from different socioeconomic groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Health<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Thirteen in 1,000 disadvantaged high achievers will experience a hospital admission in Year 11 due to a mental health or risky behaviour issue, compared to 6 per 1,000 of the most advantaged group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A recurring theme throughout is the importance of Key Stage 3. Between the ages of 11 and 14, disadvantaged pupils with the strongest SATs scores don\u2019t make the most out of the firm academic foundations they have built.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They increasingly get involved with disruptive peer groups, suffer mental health issues, get into trouble with the law and are increasingly absent from school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is consistent with recent evidence from The Engagement Platform<\/a>, which demonstrates how young people\u2019s engagement with school declines dramatically during Year 7 and into Year 8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My hypothesis \u2013 which I hope I will be able to scrutinise in detail later in the project \u2013 is that the fall in school engagement during Year 7 for high-achieving disadvantaged children is particularly stark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What, then, should be done so that we better support this group?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For one, much better evidence is needed. While the EEF has done a great job in building the evidence base for disadvantaged children in general, much less has been done focusing on the highest-achieving disadvantaged pupils.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So we need a rapid evidence review as a first step, followed by a set of bespoke randomised trials, focused on supporting high-achieving disadvantaged pupils navigate Key Stage 3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And at the national level, targeted supported for disadvantaged high-achieving pupils must become a policy priority once more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the \u2018Gifted and Talented\u2019 programme had its problems, the current government should consider how it could deliver a new and improved version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because the evidence is clear: their experience of early teenage years represents a substantial barrier to opportunity for disadvantaged pupils leaving primary school with strong academic foundations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Schools can\u2019t fix that alone, but focus on Key Stage 3 at all levels of education policy is crucial in ensuring these children go on to fulfil their potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New research suggests the government should be developing a new and improved version of New Labour\u2019s \u2018gifted and talented\u2019 programme<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":311124,"featured_media":231220,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,3734],"tags":[],"post-theme":[3730],"class_list":["post-231401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion","category-the-leader","post-theme-the-research-leader"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t