Low educational outcomes
Key points
- At age 11, the proportion of pupils not reaching Level 4 at Key Stage 2 (KS2) is higher in Inner London than elsewhere, and lower in Outer London than in any other region but one.
- However, thanks to significant improvement in Inner London since the late 1990s, the gap between the two is now down to 4%.
- The proportion of 11-year-olds not reaching Level 4 at KS2 has come down in all London boroughs since the late 1990s but more so in those boroughs where the proportion was previously higher. The gap between the boroughs with the highest and lowest proportions has been cut by a quarter - although it is still 19 percentage points.
- At age 16, the proportion of pupils in Inner London not getting five GCSEs fell by 40% over the ten years to 2007. From standing out for its poor performance, Inner London now resembles other English regions on this measure. The fall recorded in Outer London means that it is now the region with the lowest proportion of 16 year olds not getting five GCSEs.
- The three boroughs with the lowest proportion of 16-year-olds not getting five GCSEs are all in East London, including one (Newham) in Inner London.
- Four of the five boroughs with the highest proportion of 11-year-olds not reaching Level 4 at KS2 also have the highest proportions of 16-year-olds not getting five GCSEs.
- At age 11, the proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals who do not reach Level 4 at KS2 is about double the proportion for other pupils. In general, the proportions at age 11 are only slightly affected by whether they are White British or BME.
- Among 16-year-olds entitled to free schools meals, the proportion of BME pupils who do not get five GCSEs is only half the proportion for White British pupils. This is the case for both Inner and Outer London as well as the rest of England. As a result, at age 16 (unlike at age 11), ethnicity is associated with significantly different outcomes among pupils eligible for free school meals.
- The proportion of 16-19 year olds not in education, employment or training (NEET) is slightly higher in Inner London and slightly lower in Outer London than the average English region. This proportion has decreased slightly in Inner London and risen sharply in Outer London since the start of the decade.
Find out more about Low educational outcomes by visiting the indicators in this section, listed on the right.
In general in the UK, children in low-income households are less likely to do well at school. This section therefore looks at achievements by 11 and 16 year olds in schools funded by local authorities in London. London faces particular challenges because its school population is different to other regions in England.
Putting London's schools under the microscope
London's school-age population is very different from the school-age population elsewhere in England. For example:
- More pupils are entitled to free school meals: 25% of primary school children and 22% of secondary school children, compared to national averages of 13%. On average, pupils entitled to free schools meals have lower levels of attainment than others.
- Pupil 'churn' between schools is also higher – about 14% of Inner London pupils change schools in an average year, as do 6% of Outer London pupils, compared to 5% elsewhere. In some schools, the turnover is as high as 50% in a single year. Pupils who move school frequently do not attract any extra funding, so high pupil mobility puts additional strain on school resources.
- 11% of London's secondary school pupils attend schools outside the state sector, rising to 15% in Inner London, compared to 4% in the North East of England and a national average of 8%.
- These factors all suggest that schools in London face a substantial challenge, something recognised by the Government in a report which looked at improving London's secondary schools through a range of different policy initiatives.
Data used
Department for Children, Schools and Families (2007) Schools and Pupils in England
Association of London Government (2005) Breaking Point: Examining the Disruption Caused by Pupil Mobility
Department for Children, Schools and Families (2003) London Challenge: Transforming London's Secondary Schools
Relevant Indicators
Glossary
Inner London:
Camden, Hackney, Hammersmith & Fulham, Haringey, Islington, Kensington & Chelsea, Lambeth, Lewisham, Newham, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Wandsworth, Westminster
Outer London:
Barking & Dagenham, Barnet, Bromley, Bexley, Brent, Croydon, Ealing, Enfield, Greenwich, Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Kingston upon Thames, Merton, Redbridge, Richmond upon Thames, Sutton, Waltham Forest
Level 4 at KS2:
an educational standard for 11-year-olds.
BME:
Black & Minority Ethnic
Ethnicity:
characteristics of a group with distinctive cultural, linguistic and/or religious ties
NEETs:
16 to 19-year-olds 'not in education, employment or training'