Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle the disparity in progress 8 attainment between students who (a) are and (b) are not eligible for free school meals (i) in South Norfolk constituency and (ii) nationally.

Too many children are held back by their background, with gaps between disadvantaged children and their peers opening early and widening throughout their education. These gaps are not acceptable, which is why the Opportunity Mission will break the link between young people’s background and their success by helping all children achieve and thrive wherever they are in the country.

High and rising standards in every school, delivered though excellent teaching and a shared, knowledge-rich and engaging curriculum, are at the heart of the mission. Great schools need great teachers, and the quality of teaching is the single most important in-school factor in improving outcomes for children, especially for those from disadvantaged backgrounds. That is why the department has moved quickly by beginning work to recruit 6,500 expert teachers and launching the Curriculum and Assessment Review that will look closely at the barriers which hold children back from the opportunities and life chances they deserve, in particular those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged or with special educational needs or disabilities.

New Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) teams will drive higher standards, supporting all state schools by facilitating networking, sharing best practice and enabling schools to better access support, and learn from one another, in addition to providing bespoke intervention packages to driving up outcomes where standards are slipping.

To further support disadvantaged children, pupil premium funding is allocated to schools to support the educational outcomes of disadvantaged pupils and is worth over £2.9 billion in the 2024/25 financial year.

Alongside this, in 2025/26, 10.6% (£5.1 billion) of the schools national funding formula (NFF) has been allocated through deprivation factors and 17.8% (£8.6 billion) has been allocated for additional needs overall. Furthermore, in 2025/26, on average, the most deprived schools have attracted the largest per pupil funding amounts through the schools NFF. This will help schools in their vital work to close attainment gaps and break down barriers to opportunity.

The department is also committed to offering free breakfast clubs in all state-funded schools with primary-aged pupils, ensuring every primary school child, no matter their circumstances, is well prepared for school. From April 2025, up to 750 early adopter schools will be funded to provide access to a free, universal breakfast club lasting at least 30 minutes that includes food.

More widely, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education co-chairs the government’s Child Poverty Taskforce which will drive cross-government action on child poverty, starting with the development of an ambitious child poverty strategy, which will be published later this year.