Free school meals and attainment at age 16
Key points
- Among pupils not entitled to free school meals, there are only small differences in the proportion not getting five GCSEs by ethnicity.
- By contrast, among pupils eligible for free school meals, the proportion who are not White British not getting five GCSEs is only half the proportion for White British pupils.
- This pattern is by no means unique to London - White British pupils on free schoool meals right across England are more likely to lack 5 GCSEs than other pupils are.
The proportion of 16-year-olds not getting five GCSEs, by ethnicity and free school meal status
What does this graph show?
Among pupils not entitled to free school meals, ethnicity is only responsible for small differences in the proportion not getting five GCSEs. For any given location, generally between 2% and 10% of all pupils who do not receive free school meals do not attain 5 GCSEs.
By contrast, among FSM pupils the proportion of pupils who are not White British not getting five GCSEs is only half the proportion for White British pupils (about 7% in both Inner and Outer London compared to 15% for White British pupils). This gap is also present in the rest of England, not just London.
As a result, among non-White British pupils, FSM status makes only a slight difference to the proportion not getting five GCSEs. Among White British pupils, it makes a large difference.
Unlike at age 11, where location made little difference and ethnicity only a slight difference, ethnicity at age 16 is associated with substantially different GCSE outcomes among pupils eligible for free school meals. Other regions face similar issues, so this finding is not specific to London.
Data used
National Pupil Database, DCSF 2009
Indicator last updated: 13 July 2010
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Other indicators in 16-24 year olds
- Attainment at age 16 by region
- Not in education employment or training - 'NEETs'
- Attainment at age 16 by borough
- Unemployment in London by age
- Young adult unemployment over time
View all indicators
Glossary
Ethnicity:
characteristics of a group with distinctive cultural, linguistic and/or religious ties
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
Inner London:
Camden, Hackney, Hammersmith & Fulham, Haringey, Islington, Kensington & Chelsea, Lambeth, Lewisham, Newham, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Wandsworth, Westminster