The Sutton Trust today welcomed the recommendations of the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission on narrowing the attainment gap and improving access to university and the professions. Dr Lee Elliot Major, Director of Policy and Development at the Sutton Trust, said:
“Today’s report shows, that despite some progress, we still have a mountain to climb on social mobility if we are to narrow attainment gaps and improve access to university and the professions. But doing so has economic as well as social benefits, and could add up to £140 billion to GDP.
“The Sutton Trust has identified a 19 month gap in school readiness between the most and least disadvantaged children at age 5 that extends through school, and the Commission is right to focus on closing this disparity. The work of our sister charity, the Education Endowment Foundation, will be crucial in helping schools focus on proven programmes.
“In higher education, the Commission is right to urge better targeting of access funds, proper support for schools and colleges, and improved data so that we can measure impact. Getting it right on contextual admissions would ensure that bright students from underperforming schools have the chance they deserve to succeed.
“Despite the improvements in the numbers of young people going to university, the report rightly highlights that there has been a big drop off in part-time students, reducing the numbers of adults accessing a degree course and improving their own prospects.
”And as internships become so crucial in the labour market, they should be properly paid so that those from disadvantaged backgrounds are not kept off this crucial first rung on the career ladder in so many professions.”
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