Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the implications of the disadvantage gap index at the most recent provisional key stage 4 data release; and if she will make a statement.

Key Stage 4 results from 2022 have shown that the disadvantage gap index has widened for this year group compared to the 2020/21 academic year, from 3.79 to 3.84.

The Department is aware that disadvantaged children have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and we are committed to helping these pupils to recover and to close the attainment gap.

The Schools White Paper, published in March 2022, includes a vision for a school system that helps every child to fulfil their potential by ensuring that they have the right support, in the right place, at the right time, founded on achieving world-class literacy and numeracy.

Almost £5 billion has been announced for an ambitious, multi-year education recovery plan to support young people in catching up on missed education. Recovery programmes, such as the Recovery Premium, the National Tutoring Programme, and 16-19 Tuition Fund are especially focused on helping the most disadvantaged pupils and students.

Schools also continue to receive the Pupil Premium, worth over £2.6 billion this financial year (2022/23), to enable them to provide extra support and improve disadvantaged pupils’ academic and personal achievements.