Across the UK disadvantaged children are being denied access to top-performing schools because lower-income families cannot afford soaring house prices in sought-after catchment areas.
In Brighton and Hove this is about to change. On the back of a local campaign, the council has decided that secondary schools under its control must admit at least the city’s average of children on free school meals in Year 7.
It is a bold and commendable move. It will mean that the intakes of schools in Brighton will better reflect the make-up of the city and give more pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds access to some of the most high-attaining schools.
The city’s action on admissions makes it an outlier, however, because in most towns and cities the system works to narrow wider community representation, rather than enhance it.
Disadvantaged children denied access
The vast majority of school leaders are committed to serving all pupils, regardless of backgrounds. But schools are judged heavily on exam results and this discourages them from accommodating pupils who face barriers to success.
In our current system the interests of our most vulnerable children are not being prioritised. During my years in the Ministry, I have visited many schools and spoken to families and young people, some of whom have been failed by this situation.
I’ve also seen that when a school doesn’t reflect its wider community, two problems emerge. Either the lack of disadvantaged students puts off low-income families and makes them question whether they would belong, or it becomes a school of last resort, with middle-class parents going to great lengths to avoid their children attending.
This avoidance shapes the dynamics of entire communities. Children travel long distances to attend schools outside their immediate neighbourhoods, sometimes crossing postcode boundaries marked by social and economic divides.
This can breed resentment and enmity, and in some cases tensions can escalate into postcode wars, where school rivalries spill over into hostility beyond the school gates.
And when schools are not representative of their wider communities, they risk becoming another factor reinforcing division, rather than fostering unity. This is unhealthy for our communities - something we are now witnessing the consequences of.
Department for Education data shows that, across the country, suspensions surged by nearly 40 per cent between the autumn terms of 2022-23 and 2023-24, while permanent exclusions rose by 34 per cent. Absence remains significantly above pre-pandemic levels. Placements in private special and alternative provision schools have jumped almost 30 per cent since 2018-19.
This data reveals a harsh truth: disadvantaged children are being pushed out of what is perceived as “the best” in mainstream education. This must not continue.
Schools should be civic institutions that bring children and families together. They are among the last shared public spaces where children from different backgrounds can form friendships and learn to live alongside each other with mutual respect.
My passion for inclusion is the reason why I am part of the Who is Losing Learning Solutions Council, an expert group chaired by Pepe Di’lasio, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders.
The council was founded following the publication of the report last September, which diagnosed the scale of the challenge and made the social and economic case for whole-school inclusion. This was the first report of the Who is Losing Learning Coalition, founded by Impetus, the Institute for Public Policy Research, Mission 44 and The Difference.
Our work focuses on tackling the rise in school absences and exclusions, particularly among disadvantaged pupils, and addressing the lack of political and policy solutions on this issue.
Next month the coalition will be publishing a report with a range of policy solutions aimed at making mainstream schools a place for all pupils.
Legislation will help
There is a passage in the Scriptures: “Let those who have ears, hear” (Matthew 11:15). Sometimes we need to spell out what is in plain sight. It is possible to identify which schools and trusts are representative of their wider communities and which are not, and we should consider what support schools need to redress this imbalance.
This approach aligns with proposals in the government’s Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which seek to address some of the unintended consequences of the system. It is aimed at making sure that parents, wherever they live, have a good local school for their child.
To that end, it gives local authorities greater powers to work with schools and academies to deliver councils’ admissions and place-planning duties.
In its impact assessment of the bill, the government says the powers currently available to local authorities to meet these duties are not always effective and can result in children suffering the consequences of many weeks, months or even years of lost learning.
Brighton’s model of school inclusion shows us that meaningful change is possible.
The Rt Revd Rose Hudson-Wilkin is the Bishop of Dover. She is a member of the Who is Losing Learning Solutions Council
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