Promoting Social mobility is a major part of the All Rise mission. We should all have the same opportunity. If we work hard, we should be able to get on and get a career doing what we do the best and love the most, whatever our background.
This is not the reality for all. A child’s upbringing can have a major influence on the opportunities available and one element of a child’s background- how well of a family is- is a disproportionate driver of the life they can build.
Someone who grew up receiving free school meals earns just over half as much as their better-off peers by age 28. According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, sons from the most affluent families were on average around 19 percentiles higher in their adult earned income ranking than sons from the most disadvantaged families. For daughters, this rises to 27 percentiles!
Young people receiving their GCSE results last week should all be supremely proud of their achievements.
The results do reveal however a growing disparity in attainment between private and state schools with the gap in top GCSE grades standing at a sobering 27 percentage points. This merely replicates the widening gap between the most and least well-off young people. The regional disparities in attainment is also stark with all the regions (apart from London) showing drops in attainment.
We need to work hard to break down barriers to opportunity so we can boost young people’s outcomes. I am delighted that the Government are proposing a broader and more enriching curriculum where life skills such as communication, critical thinking, problem solving and team work will be to the fore. Too many young people leave school unprepared for the future.
☞We need to break down barriers that hold people back.
☞We need to give everyone the opportunities to develop skills so they make informed decisions about their futures.
☞We need to make sure there is no class ceiling on the ambitions of young people in Britain.
Raising young people’s expectations and encouraging them to believe everything is possible with hard work and dedication was a constant in my teaching profession. Now at (All Rise Workshops) going into schools👩⚖️ delivering legal education to young people of all ages gives me a unique insight into how we can play a role in motivating our next generation.
As the new academic year begins, can you join me in wishing our incredible teachers and our fabulous young people a wonderful year full of learning, excitement, hope, promise and fun.