Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to use state schools to encourage social mobility.

I want to ensure all young people are prepared for life in modern Britain, regardless of background. Over the course of this Parliament, we have invested £8.8bn through the pupil premium, and introduced accountability measures to ensure it is used to improve the progress and attainment of disadvantaged pupils. Our analysis shows that the gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers is narrowing.

We are also investing £5 million to help schools ensure that pupils develop character attributes, such as resilience and grit, which underpin success in education and employment.

Education plays a vital role in giving all young people the opportunities they deserve. That’s why we are committed to ensuring all young people can attend a good local school. One million more pupils are in good or outstanding schools than in 2010.