Friday Five: GCSE results, free schools, strip searches, suspensions, child disability

1. Growing regional educational inequalities clear in English GCSE results trends

The GCSE results gap between the south and the rest of England has grown, this year’s results have shown. While 72.5% of entries in London were graded as at least a 4, the figure for the West Midlands, England’s lowest-performing region, was just 63.1%. These figures represent a regional north-south educational attainment divide bigger than that pre-pandemic.

The GCSE pass rate for English students was also down this year, for the third year running. This year’s results saw a return to 2019 levels: 67.6% of English entries were graded as at least a 4, compared with 68.2% in 2023. The decline in the pass rate was even steeper in Wales and Northern Ireland.

More analysis from the BBC is here.

2. Opening free schools increases social segregation in neighbouring schools – new research finds

New research by UCL’s Institute of Education has found that the opening of free schools in England has led to both increased social segregation and a decline in student enrollment in neighbouring schools. Free schools, first introduced in 2010, were intended as high-quality alternatives to local authority schools, supposedly offering parents increased choice and increasing attainment across the board by boosting competition between local schools. 

The study found the presence of a free school was not associated with any significant change in student attainment in neighbouring primary schools, and only led to modest improvements in secondary schools. This improvement was often linked to the recruitment of more advantaged students rather than changes in teaching practices. The research also highlighted how competition between schools contributed to greater social segregation, particularly in areas with primary free schools, and recommended changes to how free schools are assessed and managed to prevent destabilising effects on schools serving disadvantaged communities.

Read the full report here. 

3. Concerns over police use of strip searching on children raised by Children’s Commissioner

The Children’s Commissioner, responsible for protecting children’s rights in England, has published the results of an investigation into the practice of strip searches on children, following the traumatic case of Child Q. Using data from all 44 police forces in England and Wales, the Commissioner’s report revealed that between January 2018 and June 2023, 3,368 strip searches were conducted on children, with 457 occurring between July 2022 and June 2023. The report highlighted concerning practices, including a high rate of searches without appropriate safeguards, and the disproportionate targeting of black children. Despite a decline in the number of searches and some policy changes, the report underscores the need for further reforms to ensure children’s safety during such encounters.

Read the entire report here. 

4. ‘Suspension employment gap’ highlighted in new report 

Research by the Education Policy Institute, commissioned by youth education charity Impetus, has identified a ‘suspension employment gap.’ The research found that young people who are suspended at secondary school experience poorer outcomes in late adolescence and early adulthood. Pupils suspended at least once during secondary school are twice as likely as their peers to be out of sustained education, employment or training by age 24. Pupils suspended ten or more times were found to have just as poor, if not poorer, outcomes than those who experience permanent exclusion.The report calls for the DfE to explore new ways to respond to school-based behaviour issues that reflects the evidence on in-school and out-of-school drivers. 

Read the full report here. 

5. Pressures on children’s disability benefits system laid bare

A new report by the Resolution Foundation on children’s disability benefits has revealed a system under significant pressure. The number of children under 16 in receipt of Disability Living Allowance has doubled in the last decade – driven mostly by an increase in children with a diagnosed learning difficulty, behavioural disorder, or ADHD.

This increase has implications for public spending. Spending on children’s disability benefits has also doubled, from £1.9 billion in 2013-14 to £4 billion in 2023-24, with further increases forecast. The research found the trends in children’s disability benefits mirror a rise in the number of disabled children in the country more widely. The number of disabled children in the UK has risen by over half a million in the last decade.

The full research is here.

That’s all for this week! If you found this blog useful, please be sure to share/tweet it and follow @theCfEY, @conorcarleton, and @Barristotle for future editions.