Children from low-income households have untapped potential, but they face numerous obstacles that hinder their ability to keep up academically with their peers.
This disparity, known as the attainment gap – or disadvantage gap – emerges in the early years and is measurable by age 5. If left unaddressed, it continues to widen throughout a child’s education.
By the time they take their GCSEs and A-levels, this gap often results in many young people underachieving and leaving education without crucial qualifications in English, maths and science, severely restricting their future access to opportunities.
Your postcode should not define your future.
In 2024, 44% of disadvantaged children in Yorkshire & Humber met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths by the end of primary school compared to 57% of their peers in London.
And only 17.8% of GCSE entries in the North East achieved at least a grade 7/A, compared to 28.5% in London – a stark gap of 10.7 percentage points.
Research shows that the attainment gap between children in London and elsewhere is driven by differences in context, rather than school performance. One of the biggest factors is long-term disadvantage.
Inspirational teachers have the ability to transform children’s futures.
The best available evidence indicates that great teaching is the most important lever schools have to improve pupil attainment.1
Each school year, for disadvantaged children, the difference between having a good teacher and a bad teacher can amount to an entire year’s worth of learning.2
Teachers have close connections to pupils and often already possess a deep understanding of how to best support their needs.
However, they often lack the time, resources, and opportunities to fully unlock the potential of the children who need them most, or share best practice with colleagues.
The attainment gaps that exist between disadvantaged children and their wealthier peers have existed for decades.
Standing still is not an option if we want to drive meaningful change in education.
Evidence-based innovations, developed by the brightest minds in education, and shared across schools, offer our best chance to break down the barriers holding disadvantaged children back.
Our mission is to develop and fund innovative and sustainable programmes that work to improve educational outcomes for children living in areas of deprivation in the North of England.
SHINE works with teachers and other partners to overcome barriers to learning and unlock potential across the most deprived areas of the North.