GCSE: West Midlands

(asked on 14th April 2022) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his Department's research paper entitled Infographics for GCSEs, 2021, published on 12 August 2021, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the data showing that 63.8 per cent of pupils in the West Midlands achieved grades 4 or C and above in 2019 while 70.6 per cent of pupils in London achieved those grades that year.


Answered by
Robin Walker Portrait
Robin Walker
This question was answered on 26th April 2022

Between 2011 and 2019, the attainment gap between disadvantaged children and their more advantaged peers narrowed 13% at key stage 2 and 9% at key stage 4. However, the department is aware that even before the pandemic there was still further to go. The department recognises the attainment gap that persists between vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils compared to their peers. The Schools White Paper sets out the department’s long-term vision for a school system that helps every child to fulfil their potential by ensuring that they receive the right support, in the right place, at the right time – founded on achieving world-class literacy and numeracy.

The Schools White Paper sets out two ambitions for 2030:

  • 90% of primary school children will achieve the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, and the percentage of children meeting the expected standard in the worst performing areas will have increased by a third.
  • In secondary schools, the national GCSE average grade in both English language and in maths will increase from 4.5 in 2019 to 5 by 2030.


The department aims to build capacity where it is needed most, and the government’s Levelling Up White Paper identified 55 Education Investment Areas (EIAs), where efforts will focus on driving school improvement. This includes building trust capacity, using part of the £86 million the department has committed to investing in trust capacity over the next three years. Additionally, schools in EIAs that have been judged less than Good in two or more successive Ofsted inspections could be moved into strong trusts to help drive up standards. The department is currently consulting on plans to support schools not making necessary improvements. Additionally, the Levelling Up premium, worth up to £3,000 tax-free for eligible teachers working in disadvantaged schools, including in EIAs, will be used to tackle staffing issues. EIAs include one-third of local authorities in England where educational attainment is currently weakest, and there are five EIAs in the West Midlands.

More recently, in the Schools White Paper, the department announced a subset of 24 Priority EIAs, where more intensive investment and support will be provided to address entrenched underperformance. This includes Sandwell, Stoke-on-Trent, and Walsall which were selected due to particularly low attainment and high rates of disadvantage. Priority EIAs will have access to a share of approximately £40 million to address specific local needs with bespoke interventions, a multi academy trust CEO development programme and comprehensive support for digital connectivity through Connect the Classroom. They will also have priority access to other Department for Education programmes, such as bids for new free schools.

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