Bright children still fall behind richer peers
Children from poorer backgrounds are still achieving less at school than those from affluent homes, says a new study.
Research carried out by the London School of Economics and the University of Surrey and published by the Sutton Trust found that social mobility in the UK has not improved since 1970.
Parents' backgrounds are still a key influence on the academic achievements of children, with better-off children catching up with bright but poorer peers in developmental tests between ages three and five and overtaking them by age seven.
Researchers found that in cognitive tests, children from the brightest group but the poorest fifth of households dropped from the 88th percentile at age three to the 65th percentile at age five. However, children from the richest households who were least able at age three moved up from the 15th percentile to the 45th percentile by age five.
They also found the UK was bottom of a table with 12 other advanced nations in terms of social mobility.
Sir Peter Lampl, chairman of the Sutton Trust, said, 'Shamefully, Britain remains stuck at the bottom of the international league tables when it comes to social mobility. It is appalling that young people's life chances are still so tied to the fortunes of their parents, and that this situation has not improved over the last three decades. We need a radical review of our approach.'
FURTHER INFORMATION
Recent Changes in Intergenerational Mobility in the UK, at www.suttontrust.com.
