Westminster comes out on top in closing disadvantaged gap

Secondary schools in Westminster have been recognised for having the smallest gap in learning for disadvantaged children in England, in a new report published by the Education Policy Institute.

Westminster City Council came out on top in a league table looking at GCSE maths and English scores to measure performance.

The gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged children in Westminster stands at 0.5 months (2 weeks).

On a national level, the average period of time where disadvantaged children have fallen behind non-disadvantaged peers is 22 months.

According to the Department for Education’s data, Westminster has risen from number 14 to number one on their measure over the past few years.

This means Westminster has continued to close the gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students over the years, outperforming the national average at GCSE.

Westminster schools also done remarkably well in their GCSE results this year, with 83 per cent receiving A*-C (now graded as 4-9) in English and maths, an increase of eight per cent on 2019.

Cllr Timothy Barnes, Westminster City Council Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, said: “It’s fantastic to see the Education Policy Institute recognising that Westminster council has the smallest gap in learning for disadvantaged pupils. This has been an ongoing trend for the last few years and we will continue to ensure we close the gap even further in Westminster schools. 

“It’s a testament to all the dedicated and hard work put in by our children’s services team at the council to ensure no child is left behind.

“This is something we are really proud of but we recognise there is still a huge amount to do to support those who struggle most to get the best from our schools and we are not complacent.

“I’m now looking forward to seeing all of our children back in our Westminster schools from this week, learning again and being back with their friends in the place where they belong.”

In Westminster, 95 per cent of children attend a good or outstanding school, receiving some of the best results in the country.

Find the report here: www.epi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/EPI_2020_Annual_Report_.pdf