Education
Education is an area in which London has a success story to tell.
The disadvantage gap in attainment is lower in London than in other parts of the country; in Inner London in 2023/24, disadvantaged students were 14.3 % less likely to have gained Level 3 qualifications (equivalent to A levels) than their peers, compared to a 27.9 % gap outside London.
However, this rosy picture is far from the whole story. In some boroughs the disadvantage gap is widening; since 2018/19, the gap has grown by more than 5 percentage in six London Boroughs (Trust for London, Poverty Profile, 2025). Furthermore, as the crisis in school funding deepens, many schools in London are faced with falling school rolls. Decline in pupil enrolment will lead to a further reduction in resources and makes the progress that has been made appear more fragile. There is a fear that reduced pupil numbers could lead to disadvantaged children being disproportionately represented in undersubscribed schools which will face greater financial challenges than schools which are full, which could then in turn impact on standards of teaching and the opportunities that can be offered to these pupils.
We know that financial hardship has a detrimental impact on many individual young people’s experiences of education. Research has found that
“pupils experiencing poverty in England are financially excluded from full participation in a wide range of school subjects and activities, including PE, music, swimming and art and design’ and ‘[m]any fun and special events at school, which other children look forward to, including trips, fundraising activities, celebrations and community events, are often out of reach for children in poverty”
(The Cost of the School Day in England: Pupils' Perspectives, Child Poverty Action Group and Children North East, 2022)
Calls to Action
The Government should provide families in England with cash support to help with the cost of uniform and kit, as happens in all other UK nations.
Local authorities should work with schools in their boroughs to reduce the hidden costs of education to ensure that these are not preventing children from attending, taking part and achieving at school.
The GLA and local authorities should work together to ensure that falling school rolls in London do not lead to increased disparities in resource allocation between schools and widening inequalities as a result.
