§ Mr. Freudasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information is available to his Department as to the influence of family poverty on participation in and achievement at school; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Sir Keith JosephOn 14 November 1984, at columns 698–99, I told the House about two studies undertaken by the Department which examined the statistical association between achievements of pupils in maintained schools and various social background and other factors. These factors included the proportions of children in families of lower social and economic status, of children in families on supplementary benefits, in large families, in single-parent families and in poor housing. The first of the studies (reported in Statistical Bulletin 13/84) found a strong association between low achievement (the proportion of pupils failing to obtain any graded results in O-levels and CSE) and the poverty-related factors of poor housing, single-parent families and a low proportion of children in higher socio-economic groups. This outcome was not inconsistent with the results of the second study. I also pointed to wide variations in examination results among pupils from similar socio-economic backgrounds. A better understanding of the factors giving rise to this wide variation is likely to be relevant to the development of the Government's policies for improving standards in schools for all pupils. I have said that I am willing to consider proposals for research in this area.