Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to tackle educational underachievement in working class areas.

Educational achievement, irrespective of background, is at the heart of our commitment to make this a country where everyone can go as far in life as their hard work will take them.

We recognise that children from poorer backgrounds may face additional challenges to realising their potential. Accordingly, we have spent over £13 billion since 2011, almost £2.5 billion this year alone, through the pupil premium to provide schools with extra resources to overcome barriers to learning that children from disadvantaged backgrounds can face. This complements our work to raise standards through much-needed reform to school curriculum, assessment and accountability. Since 2011, against a background of rising standards, the disadvantage attainment gap in England has narrowed by 10% at the end of both primary and secondary education.

We look to schools to use this extra funding effectively. Research shows that a personalised approach, drawing on well-evidenced effective practice, generally produces good results. We commissioned the research published by the National Foundation for Educational Research and the Education Endowment Foundation to support school leaders’ decision-making. We have highlighted examples of effective practice through the national Pupil Premium Awards.

We know there is more to do and, through our £72 million Opportunity Areas programme, we are targeting local and national resource in twelve areas facing social mobility challenges. We intend to drive up educational achievement and improve social mobility for the children and young people who live there. We will learn the lessons from this approach to share with other areas, so that children growing up in areas facing similar challenges have an opportunity to flourish and create a secure future for themselves.