Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Social Mobility Commission Changing gears: Understanding downward social mobility, published on 18 November; and what steps they are taking to increase the social mobility of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic individuals.

The government welcomes the Social Mobility Commission’s recent report, Changing gears: understanding downward social mobility. Spreading opportunity is a top priority right across the department, every child should have the same opportunity to express their talents and make the most of their lives.

The report highlights the key role education plays in securing social mobility. The government’s approach to social mobility has been to increase opportunity and support higher standards for all pupils, regardless of their ethnic background or race. That ambition has underpinned all of the department’s reforms to education since 2010, which have demonstrated that it is possible to achieve the highest standards for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. A world-class education system that works for everyone is the surest way to spread opportunity across the country. That is why we are investing over £7 billion more in our schools by the 2022-23 financial year. This means schools around the country can continue to raise standards to give all children the skills and knowledge they need to succeed. Moreover, pupil premium funding, worth around £2.4 billion annually, continues to benefit the most disadvantaged pupils.

The government has recently launched a commission on race and ethnic disparities, which will review inequality in the UK. We will carefully review the findings of this commission to make sure we continue to tackle the injustice of educational inequality.