Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to close the attainment gap between (a) disadvantaged and (b) not disadvantaged pupils in areas with three-tier education.

All children and young people should have every opportunity to succeed, no matter who they are or where they are from. Disadvantaged pupils are more likely to face barriers that hold them back, which is why the Opportunity Mission will break the unfair link between background and success.

High and rising standards are the key to strengthening outcomes for every child and young person no matter their background, reducing gaps and helping them to achieve and thrive.

The department will deliver this through excellent teaching and leaders, a high-quality curriculum, strong accountability with faster school improvement and an inclusive system which removes the barriers to learning.

As one of our first steps for change, the department is committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 expert teachers across secondary and special schools and our colleges over the course of this parliament. We have made strong initial progress to deliver this key pledge, and our investment is starting to deliver. The workforce has grown by 2,346 FTE between 2023/24 and 2024/25 in secondary and special schools, which are the schools where they are needed most.

We have also launched a Curriculum and Assessment Review that is looking closely at the key challenges to attainment, particularly for those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged.

To drive standards in reading and writing, £27.7 million has been committed in the 2025/26 financial year, including new training and resources for secondary school staff to support reading in key stage 3, with a specific focus on readers who are at risk of falling behind.

The department funds a national network of Maths Hubs, including 5 covering the East of England, which aims to raise the standard of maths teaching from reception to age 18, preventing and reducing attainment gaps.

Alongside this, pupil premium funding of over £3 billion is being provided in the 2025/26 financial year to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils.