The government will today launch an ambitious drive to dismantle the entrenched link between family background and academic success in England, pledging to halve the stubborn attainment gap that leaves poorer pupils lagging years behind their peers. At the heart of the schools white paper is a fundamental overhaul of how billions in disadvantage funding is allocated, moving beyond a simple measure of free school meals to a broader assessment of family income.
Rethinking the funding formula
Currently, schools receive disadvantage funding primarily based on how many pupils are registered for free school meals, generally available to children from families with an annual income below £7,400. The government’s new plan will broaden the criteria to give greater weight to household income, the duration of a family’s financial disadvantage, and geographic location. The policy is likely to shift funding away from the annual pupil premium payments given for each child eligible for free school meals.
The Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, described the reforms as a “golden opportunity to cut the link between background and success.” She stated: “Our schools have made great strides in recent decades. Yet for too long, many children in our country have been let down by a one-size-fits-all system, denied opportunity because they’re poor or because they have additional needs.”
The scale of the challenge
The government’s urgency is underscored by stark statistics. Labour states the disadvantage gap is as stark today as it was over a decade ago. In the latest GCSE results, only 44% of children eligible for free school meals achieved a grade 4 or above in maths and English, compared with 70% of children who do not qualify. The disadvantage gap index for year 11 pupils stood at 3.92, having widened post-pandemic to its highest point in a decade.
The current system of disadvantage funding for schools costs about £8bn a year, which includes the nearly £3bn annual Pupil Premium. There is no guarantee this total pot will be increased to reflect the proposed changes, with government sources saying this would be determined at the next spending review.
New regional missions and system reforms
Alongside the funding reform, the white paper will outline two new place-based programmes – Mission North East and Mission Coastal – aimed at tackling the performance of deprived pupils, including white working-class pupils, in specific parts of the country. Modelled on the London Challenge, a New Labour project launched in 2003 and praised by Ofsted for improving standards, these initiatives will focus on schools collaborating to share learning and ideas. The precise locations are yet to be decided.
The document will also contain controversial proposals for local authorities to be able to administer groups of schools through their own multi-academy trusts, expressing support for all schools to be part of or establish a MAT. Currently, 80% of secondary schools and 39% of primary schools in England are academies or free schools.
Overhauling the SEND system
A radical overhaul of the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system forms a major part of the plans, addressing a system described as being in crisis, financially unsustainable, and failing families. The number of Education, Health and Care Plans has increased by 165% since 2014, with appeals to the SEND Tribunal upheld in 99% of cases.
The reforms will give every child with SEND an individual support plan, offering enhanced legal rights. Mainstream schools will receive budgets to commission therapists and support directly. EHCPs will be raised as a higher bar, reserved for children with the most severe and complex needs, with children undergoing a review of their support upon entering secondary school.
Some Labour MPs are thought to be nervous about aspects of the SEND plans, particularly whether parents will retain the right to appeal if unhappy with their child’s support. The white paper’s publication was delayed from last autumn to allow for further consideration of the SEND proposals.
Attendance, leadership and engagement
Ministers are also expected to announce a new target to recover 20 million lost school days a year by 2028/29, compared to 2023/24 levels. To incentivise leadership in challenging areas, the white paper will propose pay rises worth up to £15,000 for newly appointed headteachers working in parts of the country with the greatest need.
New minimum expectations will be set for schools to engage with parents, covering timely communication and managing high-quality transitions from primary to secondary school.
Concerns over funding and fairness
The proposed reforms have drawn scepticism from some quarters over funding and potential unintended consequences. Munira Wilson, the Liberal Democrat education spokesperson, warned: “Basing funding on income alone risks hard-wiring regional inequalities into the system.” She called for the pupil premium to be restored to its 2015 real-terms value and for investment to rise with inflation.
Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, supported more targeted funding but cautioned: “It is vital that this is done through additional investment into the education system, rather than distributing the same pot of money in a different way, with the risk of creating winners and losers.”
