Left behind: education and disadvantaged children in Norfolk

Despite years of government initiatives, the attainment gap continues to leave Norfolk children behind.

Data reveals that disadvantaged children remain behind their peers after years of interventions.

In Norfolk in 2023/24, almost half (42%) of free school meal (FSM) eligible children were not achieving the expected standard in grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

This was compared to just over a quarter (27%) of their non-FSM eligible peers in KS2.

More than twice as many FSM pupils (35%) didn’t meet the expected standard in science compared to their non-FSM peers (16%).

Oportunity Index Interative Map

Drawing on years of teaching experience, a former Norfolk secondary school teacher spoke to UEA Journalism, on the condition of anonymity, about her experience.

“Poorer children were often hungry, and we would see them being lethargic and even falling asleep in lessons. At lunch times, the children would take their full entitlement of food, but they would still be hungry, indicating that they weren’t getting enough to eat the rest of the time.

“Disadvantaged pupils would often be very concerned about what was happening at home when they weren’t there. They often had challenges with parents with mental health issues, unemployment, or health needs that required them to be young carers.

“They often had adult responsibilities and were competing with peers who had none of these challenges.”

When asked about the perspective her disadvantaged pupils had for post-16 education, she replied:

“They often had no understanding of post-16 education, especially university. They often thought university would never be accessible to them. Many believed that university fees had to be paid up front, and they often told me about being discouraged by their parents to continue their education due to financial or caring responsibilities.”

“As a teacher, I always hated that I had a limited time with them to make a difference and limited resources to help these pupils.”

Attainment across the years

Nationally, the attainment gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged 16-year-olds has shown little improvement.

In 2010/11, the disadvantaged attainment gap index was 4.07; in 2022/23, it was 3.95.

National Disadvantage Attainment gap

While the attainment gap for those finishing primary school narrowed slightly in the past year, it remains wider than it was a decade ago, according to a report published by the UK Parliament.

In 2011/12, in Norfolk, for people achieving grades A* to C in English and Maths GCSE, there was a 25.8 percentage point difference between non-FSM and FSM pupils.

By 2023/24, this gap had narrowed slightly to a 22.3 percentage point difference, according to government statistics. This indicates an average yearly closure of just 0.29 percentage points in Norfolk over the 12-year period.

Across England as a whole, the 2022/23 academic year revealed a 29-percentage-point difference nationally. Less than half (43%) of FSM-eligible pupils achieved a strong pass (grades 4–9) in English and Maths GCSE, compared to 72% of their non-FSM peers, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

Attainment gap bar chart

The national audit office highlights that “the lack of sustained progress reducing the disadvantage attainment gap since 2010/11, means that DfE cannot demonstrate it is achieving value for money.”

Understanding how disadvantage is measured

Eligibility for free school meals (FSM) is often used as an indicator to measure disadvantaged children and their educational outcomes.

The Department for Education has announced that for 2026, all children living in households that claim Universal Credit (UC) will be eligible for FSM.

The government estimates over half a million additional children will be eligible to claim FSM when it is expanded to all households in receipt of UC.

This expansion will reportedly lift 100,000 children across England completely out of poverty.

[embed]Alice Macdonald MP for Norwich North

In 2025, almost a quarter (24.6%) of Norfolk children are now eligible for FSM.

This is an 82.3% increase since 2015, meaning the number of FSM-eligible pupils has almost doubled in a decade, according to government data.

This means that more and more children are experiencing the impact of the attainment gap year on year.

Percentace of FSM eligibiliy

Norfolk has the highest percentage of pupils known to be eligible for FSM in East Anglia (Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk, and Suffolk) for the 24/25 school year.

[embed]FSM and PP explanier video

Solving the problem

Becky Jordan is the director of pastoral and partnerships at St Edmund’s Society, which is a charity in Norwich that supports young people who, for a variety of reasons, haven’t been able to access mainstream education.

They provide an alternative learning environment for young people with few or no qualifications, and support those who have experienced difficulties in life and with the traditional education system.

[embed]Becky Jordan, St Edmund’s Society

According to a report by the Department for Education, pupils with special educational needs (SEN) are more likely to be eligible for FSM

In January 2024, nearly half (42.2 per cent) of pupils with an Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP) and over a third (38.3 per cent) of those receiving SEN support qualified for free school meals (FSM). In contrast, fewer than one in four pupils (21.4 per cent) without special educational needs were eligible.

Becky Jordan was also able to illustrate some of the educational needs of her pupils:

“Around 20% of our students have Education, Health, and Care Plans (EHCP). So, common kinds of need that we see in the centre are things like autism and dyslexia.

“A lot of our students also have social work support, so they have come in from a care background or they have social workers involved in their lives.”

Difference in education

Not only are disadvantaged children more likely to have SEN, but research shows they have a less creative education than their more advantaged peers.

A report by the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre found that just 8.4% of people in the film, TV, video, radio, and photography sectors identify as being from a working-class background.

A Cambridge University report on the uptake of GCSE subjects in 2023 found that those with higher deprivation were less likely to take creative subjects than their lower deprivation peers.

This means that deprived children may be prevented from employment in the creative industry.

2023 Uptake of GCSE Subjects

A Norfolk teenager, and pupil premium student, shared her experiences with the arts. For this article, she has asked to remain anonymous.

“I’m put off doing creative subjects, because there are people who are far more experienced as they do it outside of school, and it would be embarrassing to be with people who are better.

“My friends are able to do drama and are paying to watch theatre shows and go to cinemas, and if I did drama, I wouldn’t be able to do those things, and I’d be missing out and having a disadvantage compared to the people in my class who can go.

“I’d never have the opportunity to do arts because you have to buy your own brushes and paints, but those are things you need for those subjects, so I’d never be able to do it.”

Children from the poorest backgrounds are much less likely to do extra-curricular activties

When asked more generally about the struggles she faces at school, she responded:

“It makes it more frustrating to be around people who aren’t poor outside of school and listen to them try to minimise the issues that you have, when they actually don’t understand.

“They think that just because you’re going to the same school, you’re in the same position. And they don’t think you deserve contextual offers, free school meals, stationery, books, and things like that.”

Generational issues

In England, just under 1 in 5 (18%) adults aged 16 to 65 have very poor literacy skills — this is also known as being functionally illiterate, according to a report by the Department for Education.

In 2023–4, only 53% of pupils in Norfolk in state-funded schools met the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths at the end of key stage 2, according to the Department for Education.

This means nearly half of the county’s 7- to 11-year-olds are potentially facing a future with limited opportunities for further education or skilled work.

Visualisation by The Office for National Statistics

Adam Baker is the communication and insight manager at the Norfolk Community Foundation.

It’s a charity that supports over 2,000 smaller groups across the county.

He illustrated some of the different challenges his charity faces in supporting disadvantaged children in education.

[embed]Adam Baker, Norfolk Comunity Foundation

As well as struggles around parental literacy, Adam also highlighted how some teenagers can fall through the cracks.

“If you get to 16 and you haven’t got your GCSE in maths and you want to go into college, and they say you need to have maths.

“As soon as you get past 16, there’s this kind of black hole where you can’t get any funding to get that GCSE until you’re an adult again.”

“It means if you miss out on that qualification the first time, you have to wait a long time,

“Where you’re not studying and you’re possibly not working either, and that can compound the problem.”

Looking ahead

The Labour Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill has reached the committee stage.

The Bill, proposed as part of the government’s Opportunity Mission, looks to support higher attainment in disadvantaged pupils.

It seeks to deliver universal free breakfast clubs and limit the number of branded uniform items schools can require.

The government has already allocated funding to 750 schools for breakfast clubs as part of a pilot scheme.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said:

“We are delivering on our promises and giving every child the best start in life while making sure families get the support they need, wherever they live.”

General secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, Pepe Di’lasio, said: “We strongly urge the government to be more realistic about the costs involved before it attempts to roll out this policy nationally.”

Neither the Department for Education nor Norfolk County Council responded to requests for comment.