The education divide

A recent Sutton Trust report found that adults who are assertive, talkative and enthusiastic are 25 per cent more likely to earn over £40,000 a year and are more likely to come from wealthier backgrounds. It advocates improving the social skills of young people at school and university to give them the best chance of succeeding in the job market. No option should be considered too radical if there is evidence that it could help improve the attainment of disadvantaged children and improve social mobility. Extending the length of the school day and reforming university admissions, so all pupils apply after their A-level results, are reforms that should be further explored. The poorest children cannot continue to be let down. The correlation between poverty, geography and educational underachievement diminishes us all.

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