Disadvantaged pupils in England are behind in maths, research shows

A new report by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) shows that in maths, the performance of disadvantaged pupils in England is in the lower half of developed countries.

It also shows that as many as four in 10 disadvantaged pupils in England fail to reach the new GCSE “standard| pass mark of grade 4 in that subject.

The new report, ‘Educational disadvantage: how does England compare’ assesses the performance of disadvantaged pupils in England compared to other countries and the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers in England.

The research also finds that England’s disadvantaged pupils are behind other Western nations in maths, including Canada, the Netherlands and Ireland - achieving around a third of a grade lower on average.

Disadvantaged pupils in Asian nations, however, are even further ahead, with England performing around a half of a grade lower in maths.

The attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers in England is equivalent to one whole GCSE grade.

On this measure of educational disadvantage, England ranks in the bottom half of developed nations, standing 27th out of 44 nations.