A report released this week by the Education Policy Institute (EPI), has found that poorer students in sixth forms and colleges trail their more affluent peers by as many as three A level grades when taking qualifications at this level.
This exploratory research established that the disadvantage gap, defined as the gap in educational attainment between poorer students and their peers – is substantial during the 16-19 education phase, with poorer students continuing to see far worse educational outcomes than their better off peers.
The report also concluded that there was no progress made in closing the gap between 2017 and 2019, which brings to the forefront the worrying potential outcomes of the year of the pandemic 2020..
39% of those identified in the gap can be explained by learners' prior attainment at school, think GCSE. Entry for these learners into sixth form or college is generally into lower level education due to low achievement grades previously in school. The research also indicates the key role social economic background plays and how this also has a tipping effect on the scales of levelling off the gap.
It is clear this is not a new problem caused by the pandemic, but an ongoing problem that is generally grounded in the background and circumstances certain learners find themselves in. Therefore the response is not a single solution but a package of measures that is required to provide equal opportunity to those most in need.
Perhaps one area that has been overlooked is how the use of technology and how online learning could be an enabler for those most in need. We have seen some excellent innovation occur throughout the pandemic, from virtual tours of museums to online learning programmes. Technology could be the learning mentor that many students have never had, supplying them with the opportunities they might never have had access too.
Thinking back to pre 2020, how many learners were asked if they had a device at home they could use for learning? Did they have a stable internet connection? And other such questions? Perhaps some, but for those who didn't have any of that the answer was generally you can access these services onsite at college. I do believe that those days are over, and the time of anywhere, anytime access will require those packages of measures, including investment in Wi-Fi infrastructure and hardware for learning.
The reason for this need is the world is changing, how we learn is changing and how we support learning is changing. One size fits all doesn't work and it never has, but technology can be shaped, can be personalised and can be agile - changing quickly to the need and allowing greater access and inclusivity.
When I was in primary school my parents bought me an encyclopaedia, I found this massive book absolutely incredible. The scale of information available to me was incredible. I could look at anything from World War 2 to how clouds are formed. I developed an appetite to find out new things and was encouraged to do so. Every now and then I would give a little presentation to my parents on what I had been looking at in the book. Now imagine a learner who might never have had this access, whose parents might be forced to work long hours to feed them and keep a roof over their head. The internet has provided us with a multibillion page encyclopaedia which some learners can't get on to with ease and others of us spend multiple hours on each day. Is it any wonder we have attainment gaps?
Professor Sugata Mitra delivered one of my most favourite Ted talks in 2013. Sugata speaks about how technology has changed learning opportunities for young children across the globe. It is a fascinating watch and please if you haven't seen it look it up via the link provided. Within this talk Sugata speaks about the SOLEs, self organised learning environment, and the massive impact these facilities have had on learning for some of the most disadvantaged learners across the globe. The talk includes so many discussion points it's hard to summarise, but it's amazing how this talk was delivered in 2013 and the key points are still so relevant today.
Perhaps the answer to this question of attainment regardless of age, is what the professor discusses in his talk: Wi-Fi + Collaboration + Encouragement of learning. “It's not about making learning happen, it's about letting it happen”. Powerful words and a quote that has stayed with me since I first watched this talk. Part of me thinks this is what is missing from some of the learners within this 16-19 age group: encouragement. If we can encourage learning and supply the resources to let it happen, we are on course for a much more positive outcome.
Technology really is the way forward. It is how we provide greater opportunity and enable learners regardless of background or circumstance to thrive. The most important things to think about now is how we make it available to all, how we utilise teachers and mentors and how by making marginal gains we change the future prospects of billions of people.
