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https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2018/12/11/education-in-the-media-tuesday-11-december-2018/

Education in the Media: Tuesday 11 December 2018

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Today’s Education in the Media blog focuses on the new £2 million research fund announced by the Social Mobility Commission.

Social Mobility

Today, Tuesday 11 December, the Social Mobility Commission (SMC) hosted its launch event to introduce the new Commissioners and to set out the vision for the organisation. As part of this, the SMC announced a new £2 million research fund and also launched its latest Social Mobility Barometer to coincide with this event. This has received coverage from BBC Online, the Independent, the Guardian, the Times and the Mail.

The £2 million fund has been secured from the Department, for the purpose of funding additional research and is in addition to the £72 million being put into the Opportunity Areas programme over three financial years (2017-2020) to improve outcomes for disadvantaged young people.

The attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers has reduced across all stages of education and today’s announcement is part of our continuing mission to further improve and speed up the progress we are making.

Education Secretary Damian Hinds said:

This Government strongly believes that everyone should have the chance to fulfil their potential, and where you start in life should not determine future success.

We have taken great strides to improve social mobility. The attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers has reduced across all stages of education, we’re targeting extra support at the poorest areas of the country to raise standards in schools and attract great teachers, and more young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are going to university.

Whilst potential and talent is evenly spread, the opportunities to make the most of it sometimes aren’t, which is why the work the Social Mobility Commission do is so important and why we are investing £2million to expand its research and spread good practice. I look forward to working with Dame Martina and the commissioners as part of our shared vision to improve social mobility.

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