Our Analysis

High attainment: The narrowing funnel

SOURCES: South West Mobility Commission, 2022. Department of Education. Education Policy Institute, 2024

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A child educated in the South West is...

- half as likely to have high attainment at Key Stage 2

- likely to have a GCSE Attainment 8 score 3.2 grades lower

- 30% less likely to progress to A-Level study

- half as likely to go to a Russell Group University

- 70% less likely to go to Oxford or Cambridge

...than if they are educated in London

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A disadvantaged child in the South West is...

- three times less likely to have high attainment at Key Stage 2

- likely to have GCSE Attainment 8 score 10.6 grades lower

- half as likely to progress to A-Level study

- three times less likely to go to a Russell Groups University

- two and a half times less likely to go to Oxford or Cambridge

...than a disadvantaged child educated in London

The data paints a bleak picture. Underlying it is the unique context of the South West of England – and the ‘South West peninsula’ of Cornwall, Devon and Somerset in particular.

"For poorer young people growing up within pockets of urban or rural poverty across the peninsula, a combination of remoteness from the rest of the country and poor public transport connections locally may mean some experiences, opportunities and pathways will be out of reach and sight."

South West Social Mobility Commission

"Rural schools have particular difficulty breaking the link between poverty and low attainment."

Centre for Education & Youth

"The image of an idyllic country or seaside life, with strong community support for the local schools has prevailed until very recently. But this is not necessarily the whole picture; some rural and coastal areas have high levels of deprivation, their schools can be isolated from different kinds of support for teaching and learning, and community members do not
always support their local school.”

Plymouth Marjon University & The University of Plymouth

"The South West is a special case for those wishing to increase educational opportunities and progression. It might be that outreach work trialled in (for example) ethnically diverse urban areas simply cannot be translated into the South West context. It might be that the peripheral location of the South West, and the particular labour market opportunities, as well as the pattern of HE availability require a bespoke approach to supporting continuation."

University of Exeter

Young people from under resourced backgrounds in the South West peninsula face unique challenges on the pathway to academic success and higher education. A nuanced understanding of these challenges is integral to:

our approach

Our analysis