What do the data and research really tell us? Lucy Stokes National Institute of Economic and Social Research Annual Inclusion Conference 2016 Fairfields Teaching School Alliance & Northamptonshire County Council Boys’ achievement: research, strategies and success 18th November 2016 1

Introduction Lower average educational attainment of boys continues to attract attention Particular focus on White British boys This presentation: Gender gap in attainment Attainment by ethnicity, disadvantage and gender Why do pupils in some ethnic groups appear more resilient to effects of poverty?

The gender gap in educational attainment

KS4 attainment Girls are more likely than boys to attain 5 or more GCSEs at grades A*-C including English and maths In 2015, the gender gap stood at around 9 percentage points for England Similar gap (around 11 percentage points) for Northamptonshire

KS4: 5+ A*-C GCSEs or equivalent including English & maths, by gender, 2015 Source: SFR01/2016: GCSE and equivalent results in England 2014/15, Department for Education

Attainment at primary school Girls are also more likely than boys to reach the expected standard at KS2 This applies for most, but not all subjects In addition, more girls than boys reach the expected standard at KS1 achieve a good level of development in the EYFSP

KS2: % pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing & mathematics, England 2016 (provisional) Source: SFR39/2016: National curriculum assessments at key stage 2, 2016 (provisional), Department for Education

KS2: % pupils reaching the expected standard by subject, England 2016 (provisional) Source: SFR39/2016: National curriculum assessments at key stage 2, 2016 (provisional), Department for Education

KS2: % pupils reaching the expected standard, teacher assessments, England 2016 (provisional) Source: SFR39/2016: National curriculum assessments at key stage 2, 2016 (provisional), Department for Education

KS2: % pupils reaching the expected standard by subject, Northamptonshire 2016 (provisional) Source: SFR39/2016: National curriculum assessments at key stage 2, 2016 (provisional), Department for Education

KS2: % pupils reaching the expected standard, teacher assessments, Northamptonshire 2016 Source: SFR39/2016: National curriculum assessments at key stage 2, 2016 (provisional), Department for Education

KS1: % pupils reaching the expected standard, 2016 England Northamptonshire Source: Phonics screening check and Key stage 1 assessments in England. SFR 42/2016, Department for Education

EYFSP: % pupils achieving a good level of development, 2016 Source: Early years foundation stage profile (EYFSP) results: 2016

Summary A gender gap is apparent at all phases of the school system The gender gap is already evident at age 5 Understanding trends over time is complicated by changes in the way attainment has been measured

Attainment by ethnicity, disadvantage and gender

White British pupils Performance of White British pupils, particularly White British boys, has attracted considerable attention in recent years Particular focus on “disadvantaged” White British pupils Often referred to as “White working class” In practice, eligibility for free school meals is often used as a proxy Circumstances of pupils within the FSM group may vary considerably

Educational attainment by ethnicity Overall, gaps in educational attainment by ethnic group have narrowed considerably over last 20 years Over the period 2004 to 2013: Most ethnic groups have seen improvement in attainment relative to White British pupils Only “White other” group has seen a decline relative to White British pupils

% students achieving 5 GCSEs A*-C including English and maths Source: Figure 6, Strand (2015)

Educational attainment by ethnicity and disadvantage Among those pupils eligible for FSM, White British pupils were the lowest attaining group in 2013 Furthermore, the gap between ethnic minority pupils and White FSM pupils has increased over time Not just a problem of White disadvantaged boys – White disadvantaged girls also show lower attainment

Per cent pupils attaining 5 or more GCSEs A Per cent pupils attaining 5 or more GCSEs A*-C including English and Maths, FSM pupils, 2004 and 2013 Source: Table 9, Strand (2015)

2013: Per cent pupils attaining 5 or more GCSEs A 2013: Per cent pupils attaining 5 or more GCSEs A*-C including English and Maths, FSM pupils Source: Appendix 6, Strand (2015)

Educational attainment at primary school At age 11, White British FSM pupils are second lowest achieving group (lowest is “White other”) At age 5, White FSM pupils are among the three lowest attaining groups: White British FSM pupils: 35% achieve “a good level of development White Other FSM pupils: 34% Pakistani FSM pupils: 34%

2013: KS2 results Source: Figure 19, Strand (2015)

2013: KS2 results, FSM pupils Source: Appendix 7, Strand (2015) % achieving level 4 or above Source: Appendix 7, Strand (2015)

2013: KS2 results, Non-FSM pupils Source: Appendix 7, Strand (2015)

2013: EYFSP, FSM pupils Source: Appendix 8, Strand (2015)

2013: EYFSP, Non-FSM pupils Source: Appendix 8, Strand (2015)

Why do pupils in some ethnic groups appear more resilient to poverty?

Why do pupils in some ethnic groups appear more resilient? Parental and family factors Student factors The role of schools Other influences

Parental and family factors Parental expectations and aspirations Cultural differences, for example, in value placed on education? Immigrant paradigm? Parental engagement with schooling Use of private tuition Home learning environment

Student factors Students’ own aspirations and expectations Both ‘risk’ and ‘resilience’ factors matter Strand (2014) – on average, ethnic minorities had more resilience factors and fewer risk factors Language and literacy skills Influence of peer groups both within school and beyond

The role of schools

The role of schools Smaller contribution than parental/family characteristics But still important – may be more amenable to intervention Wilson et al. (2011): Systemic school factors (e.g. curriculum) Between-school factors (quality) Within-school factors (teacher quality) Do ethnic minority pupils attend different schools?

Other influences Social capital “the pattern and intensity of networks among people and the shared values which arise from those networks” (ONS, 2003) Perhaps not lower aspirations, but better information needed on how to convert aspirations into actions Very difficult to measure!

Summary A gender gap is apparent at all phases of the school system The gender gap is already evident at age 5 Among FSM pupils, all ethnic minority groups outperforming White British pupils Not just boys; girls also show low attainment

Conclusions The home, school, and the pupil all matter in improving attainment – initiatives need to target all areas Help with language and literacy likely to be valuable (especially in early years) Strategies effective for low-attaining groups may also raise attainment of high-attaining groups Need for further evidence to inform future interventions aimed at raising attainment of White disadvantaged pupils

Further reading Stokes, L., Rolfe, H., Hudson-Sharp, N., & Stevens, S. (2015). A compendium of evidence on ethnic minority resilience to the effects of deprivation on attainment. London: DfE Strand, S. (2015). Ethnicity, deprivation and educational achievement at age 16 in England: Trends over time. London: DfE. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ethnic- minorities-and-attainment-the-effects-of-poverty

What do the data and research really tell us? Lucy Stokes National Institute of Economic and Social Research Annual Inclusion Conference 2016 Boys’ achievement: research, strategies and success 18th November 2016 38