“Supporting under-resourced students is critical to closing the disadvantage gap” – Our response to the EPI 16-19 student premium report

The Education Policy Institute’s recent report, ‘Closing the Forgotten Gap: Implementing a 16-19 Student Premium’, highlights the urgent need for additional funding for 16-19 year-old students.

The report outlines that a new ‘student premium’ would give schools the agency and funding to address the attainment gap between economically disadvantaged students and their peers post-16, just as the Pupil Premium for secondary pupils does currently. It would be paid as a fixed amount per eligible student, directly to schools, and should be spent on interventions to narrow the disadvantage gap, namely those which are proven to positively impact attainment and outcomes for young people.

The type of ring-fenced funding outlined by the EPI is welcomed enthusiastically by The Access Project, as it specifically focuses on tackling educational disadvantage for under-resourced students in the 16-19 phase. At The Access Project, we work with Key Stage 5 (KS5) students (Years 12 & 13) from under-resourced backgrounds across England and have worked with thousands of students from Free School Meals (FSM) or Pupil Premium (PP) backgrounds. We know that funding for under-resourced KS5 students is, as the EPI describes, the ‘cliff-edge of disadvantage funding’, and comes at a pivotal point in the lives of young people, as they make decisions about next steps after compulsory education.

The report notes ‘economically disadvantaged students in 16-19 education are over 3 grades behind their peers’. The Access Project’s wraparound mentoring and tuition intervention is proven to close this gap whilst raising aspirations and increasing placements at top universities. But change like this can only be achieved if substantive funding is available for schools to invest in impactful education interventions like ours. The 16-19 student premium would be a monumental milestone in levelling the playing field for under-resourced young people.

The EPI proposes that the student premium should have one central aim: to improve educational attainment of economically disadvantaged students. We recognise the importance of attainment as a key metric of closing the disadvantage gap, but also strongly advocate for multi-faceted interventions beyond academic tutoring to be included in the 16-19 student premium remit.

Built on our data and insights, our new programme, Accelerate, encompasses high-quality mentoring and skills coaching to address the disadvantage gap from all angles. Improving attainment is not a single silver bullet – the EPI report highlights that under-resourced students earn less even after controlling for attainment levels. This shows the need for schools to be able to fund wide-reaching, holistic interventions that we know will improve outcomes for under-resourced 16-19 year-olds.

Anna Searle, Chief Executive Officer at The Access Project, said: “Funding that is specifically targeted at supporting under-resourced students between school and university is critical to closing the disadvantage gap.

“We will continue our mission to reduce barriers to opportunity and welcome this discussion around funding to ensure schools can focus on support that is proven and effective in levelling access to opportunities for young people”.

The Access Project helps young people from under-resourced backgrounds achieve their academic potential and place at top universities. By donating to our programme or volunteering with us, you’re helping the country’s most under-resourced young people find their way to a brighter future.