EEF and EPI share on specific factors associated with lower attainment for disadvantaged children and young people.
A new report from the Education Policy Institute (EPI) and Education Endowment Foundation (EFF) provides ‘comprehensive research into the socioeconomic attainment gap in England, tracking how educational inequalities develop across different phases of a child’s life.’
The report found that factors strongly linked to the disadvantage attainment gap include prior attainment and disrupted schooling. Other factors included identified SEND (which is a significant contributor in early years), individual characteristics, and cohort and institution characteristics. There were also differences in outcomes by ethnicity at every stage of education with persistent patterns, such as consistently lower progress amongst disadvantaged white British pupils.
The study is linked with data from the National Pupil Database (NPD) and followed a single cohort of children and young people across the education system until their education was completed in the 2023/2024 academic year.
Key findings:
- The disadvantaged gap accumulates over time with children already 4.6 months behind their peers by the end of Early Year Foundation stage.
- Prior attainment at age 5 accounts for 40% of the gap at Key Stage 2, 44% of the Key Stage 4 gap and 67% of the 16-19 gap (once GCSE attainment is included).
- Absence accounts for 21% of the gap at Key Stage 2 and rises to 34% of the gap by the end of Key Stage 4.
- Moderate absence is associated with lower GCSE attainment equivalent to 5.5 months, with this growing to 9.6 months for persistent absence and 20.9 for severe absence.
- Early SEND identification and support leads to children with SEND having similar attainment outcomes when compared to peers with comparable prior attainment.
- Individual characteristics account for more of the gap than differences in schools and cohorts but cohort and institution level factors increase as children and young people move through the education system.
Whilst early intervention is important, it’s not enough on its own. EEF and EPI explain in their report’s conclusion, “We also show that early intervention is not enough: disadvantaged children and young people continue to fall behind during every phase of compulsory education.”
The report also notes that there is a part of the gap that is ‘not tied to any observed factor’. They mention that at age 5, they lack measures relating to children’s home lives, early childhood and pre-natal health; that many cases of SEND have yet to be identified; and that other potential key contributors are missing, such as children and young people’s health, school climates and the characteristics of their local area, and workforce characteristics.
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References
- Natural history GCSE to teach teenagers to plant wildflower-friendly gardens. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2026/jun/11/natural-history-gcse-to-teach-teenagers-to-plant-wildflower-friendly-gardens (Accessed 12 June 2026)
