State of the Nation 2018-19 - GOV.UK

1 State of the Nation 2018-19 :Social Mobility in Great BritainState of the Nation 2018-19 : Social Mobility in Great BritainState of the Nation 2018-19 : Social Mobility in Great BritainPresented to Parliament pursuant to section 8B(6) of the Life Chances Act 2010 April 2019 This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders publication is available at enquiries regarding this publication should be sent to the Social Mobility Commission, Sanctuary Buildings, Great Smith Street, London SW1P : 978-1-5286-0991-3 CCS0119453080 Printed in the UK on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty s Stationery on paper containing 75% recycled fibre content minimum.

2 Crown copyright 2019 About the CommissionThe Social Mobility Commission is an advisory non-departmental public body established under the Life Chances Act 2010 as modified by the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016. It has a duty to assess progress in improving social mobility in the UK and to promote social mobility in England. The Commission board comprises: Dame Martina Milburn (Chair) Alastair da Costa, Chair of Capital City College Group Farrah Storr, Editor-in-chief, Elle Harvey Matthewson, Aviation Activity Officer at Aerobility and Volunteer Jessica Oghenegweke, Project co-ordinator at the Diana Award Jody Walker, Senior Vice President at TJX Europe (TK Maxx and Home Sense in the UK) Liz Williams, Group Director of Digital Society at BT Pippa Dunn, Founder of Broody, helping entrepreneurs and start ups Saeed Atcha, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Xplode Magazine Sam Friedman, Associate Professor in Sociology at London School of Economics Sammy Wright, Vice Principal of Southmoor Academy, Sunderland Sandra Wallace, Joint Managing Director Europe at DLA Piper Steven Cooper, Chief Executive Officer & CoThe functions of the Commission include.

3 Monitoring progress on improving social mobility. Providing published advice to ministers on matters relating to social mobility. Undertaking social mobility Commission is supported by a secretariat comprising: Raj Baig, Brian Corbett, Ali Jaffer, Rachael Millar, Sashareen Morgan, James Murphy Corkhill, Jill Sherman, Lindsay Turner Trammell, Gene vExecutive Summary viiChapter 1: Assessment of Social Mobility 1 Chapter 2: Early Years (ages 0-5) 21 Chapter 3: Schools (ages 5-18) 35 Chapter 4: Further Education and Apprenticeships (ages 16-24) 59 Chapter 5: Higher Education (ages 18+) 85 Chapter 6: Working Lives (ages 25+) 105 Chapter 7: Social Mobility in Scotland and Wales 129 Annex A: Social Mobility Indicators 141 Annex B: Glossary 143 Annex C: Further Detail on Methodology 149 State of the Nation 2019.

4 Social Mobility in Great BritainivForewordvForewordIn this our sixth State of the Nation report we lay bare the stark fact that social mobility has stagnated over the last four years at virtually all stages from birth to work. Being born privileged in Britain means that you are likely to remain privileged. Being born disadvantaged, however, means that you will have to overcome a series of barriers to ensure that you and your children are not stuck in the same a time when our country needs to be highly productive and nimble we impede our own progress as a Nation if we do not maximise the talent of all our citizens especially those that start the furthest behind. We fail if we do not make it possible for every individual to have choices about where they go and what they do in report shows that more needs to be done to support the most vulnerable. Our analysis finds that, too often, well intentioned policies fail to reach those who would benefit most, while cuts to other provisions disproportionately impact the most vulnerable.

5 Whether it is access to 30-hours childcare, the widespread use of unconditional offers into higher education, or cuts to 16-19 funding, these patterns emerge in policies throughout the life stages. The middle class is being supported while the most disadvantaged are left in the earliest stages of life we find that developmental gaps open up between disadvantaged and affluent children. Our research highlights the closure of hundreds of children s centres and asks the government to revisit its approach to this policy. We call for an extension of 30-hours childcare to more disadvantaged parents. We also note the issues affecting the early years workforce and identify ways we can improve the prospects of those who care and teach our youngest children. Government needs to act to ensure these workers are better paid and have clearer and more elaborated progression have long been viewed as the engine for social mobility but we find that gaps between the poorest students and the others are prevalent at all stages in the education system.

6 While the Commission welcomes initiatives such as the Pupil Premium and the investment in what works activity, we are critical of how schools are being held to account. We want to ensure that the inspection framework does not perpetuate cycles of disadvantage and that those delivering educational excellence within the constraints of poverty are supported and their methods Commission wants to see an education system where the majority of students can get ahead. This means ensuring that the post-16 education system is appropriately funded so it can deliver the broad balanced education and high quality technical education that is so necessary for many students to progress. We know that the greatest social mobility gains come from qualifications at degree level and above, but we also know that for some of our most disadvantaged students further education is the stepping stone to gain a higher level qualification.

7 It is time to change the assumption that Britain can thrive economically with an education system that only focusses on the 40 per cent of students that study A in the workplace the inequality continues. The better off are still 80 per cent more likely to make it into professional jobs than those from working class backgrounds. We continue to see that those with the least skills are the least likely to get training. To create an internationally competitive Britain it is crucial that everyone can have effective second chances to gain qualifications and move up. This means access to quality ongoing training that delivers progression. It remains a fact that businesses and government spend State of the Nation 2019: Social Mobility in Great Britainvisignificantly less than the European average on adult training. Apprenticeships, the only form of adult training that is on the rise, are not always targeted at those who could benefit the most.

8 We must do mobility is not just about children from council estates becoming CEOs. We want to reduce the social mobility Power Gap where those from better off backgrounds not only earn more money but control the levers that shape our society. Social Mobility is securing the first stable job when your family has experienced generations of worklessness. It is about being able to live where you grew up if you choose and not being held back in life because there is a lack of opportunities in your region. It is having access to better and cheaper transport services that integrate the places left behind with the places forging a new group of Commissioners, we represent a broad range of ages, experiences, opinions and geography. Many of us have personal social mobility experiences: we understand the difficulty of the journey, what it means to be the first person in your family to go to university or the first to secure a well-paid professional job.

9 We are energised to tackle this entrenched problem with new work is more critical than ever. Research shows that living standards are getting worse for the working class and for young people. If we do not address the soaring costs of housing, the wellbeing of our Nation and the rising rates of child poverty, social mobility is predicted to get even worse in future Commission is therefore calling on school and university chiefs, politicians, councillors, government and employers to take action to ensure that everyone has access to equal opportunities. The recommendations in this report aim to start organisations on that journey. We need to praise what is working and question what can be every stage of the life-cycle we are losing gifted people who could be participating more in our society. We cannot afford for this to must act decisively to change Commission is committed to bringing together partners across political, organisational, structural, and cultural boundaries to make a difference.

10 We seek to create a Great Britain where your background does not determine your Martina Milburn Chair, Social Mobility CommissionExecutive SummaryviiExecutive SummaryThe Social Mobility Commission s recommendations for each life stage are set out below. They are aimed not only at the government but also at employers and education chiefs, local councils and communities. The new Commission is still in its early stages and the report outlines areas where it intends to carry out further work and to fund new research. In other areas it will continue to monitor the situation and make recommendations at a later yearsChildren from working class backgrounds still suffer disadvantages compared to their more affluent peers, even from birth. Babies from disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to be born with low birth weight, which has been shown to lead to worse health in childhood, and worse outcomes in later life through poorer educational attainment and lower wages.