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Ed Talks: Comments on the Education Policy Institute's new research

Ed Marsh, Tutor Trust CEO, welcomes new recommendations from the Education Policy Institute on the gaps in support for children living in poverty

Published:

  • Time to read: 2 mins

Here at The Tutor Trust, we welcome the newly published research from the Education Policy Institute (EPI), funded by the Nuffield Foundation. This important report sheds light on the gaps in support for children living in poverty, specifically regarding Free School Meals (FSM) and the Pupil Premium (PP).

At The Tutor Trust, we witness first-hand the challenges faced by some children facing social disadvantage in accessing the support they need. This research echoes our experiences and highlights a concerning reality: many children who live in poverty are not receiving the help which should be available to them. The findings indicate that the current systems for identifying and supporting these vulnerable groups are inadequate, leaving significant numbers of children without essential resources. This creates an enormous amount of pressure on school resources at a time when funding is still incredibly stretched.

Key messages

The report - which you can read in full here - highlights the following key messages and implications:

  • Fewer children are registered for Free School Meals (FSM) than are estimated to be in poverty
  • Under-registration for FSM seems to be higher in deprived local authorities
  • Pupils who are not enrolled at a state school in January are less likely to access FSM. This has implications for children who do not have stable access to education
  • The proportion of children recorded as FSM-eligible in the National Pupil Database (NPD) has risen since 2018, and the demographic of this group has also changed

These findings show that Pupil Premium and FSM eligibility are not always an accurate indicator of poverty and educationally relevant disadvantage. The accuracy of these metrics can vary based on area, ethnicity, language background, and age group.

The report - along with the Education Select Committee - recommends automatically enrolling eligible children for FSM to improve the coverage nationally and across different demographics.

...we must strive to create a system that truly reflects their needs.”
Ed Marsh, Tutor Trust Chief Executive

Evidence continues to grow

The report’s recommendations are both timely and necessary. We strongly urge the government to take action on these points. By expanding eligibility for FSM, increasing salary thresholds, and implementing automatic enrolment for eligible children, we can ensure that no child misses out on the vital support they deserve.

As the report makes clear many children from specific communities, are disproportionately affected by under-registration for FSM. These children are among those who need our support the most, and we must strive to create a system that truly reflects their needs.

We urge the government to take this report seriously and to act on its recommendations to ensure that we have an education system which is as equitable as possible and provides our young people with the support they need and our schools with the resources they require.

Thank you to the EPI and the Nuffield Foundation for collaborating on this critical report.

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