Sociology – Paper 3 – Education and inequality | e-Consult
Paper 3 – Education and inequality (1 questions)
Login to see all questions.
Click on a question to view the answer
The Pupil Premium provides additional funding to schools for students identified as disadvantaged, many of whom belong to ethnic minority groups.
Quantitative evidence:
- National statistics (2021‑22) show a modest reduction in the attainment gap between White British and Asian pupils, but the gap between White British and Black pupils remained largely unchanged.
- Research by the Education Policy Institute (2023) found that schools using the premium for targeted interventions (e.g., mentoring, after‑school clubs) saw a 2‑3% rise in GCSE pass rates for eligible minority pupils.
Qualitative critiques:
- Implementation variability: Schools have wide discretion over how to spend the funds, leading to inconsistent impact. Some allocate money to generic resources rather than targeted ethnic‑specific support.
- Focus on poverty rather than ethnicity: The policy treats ethnicity as a proxy for disadvantage, overlooking cultural or discrimination‑related factors that the premium does not directly address.
- Short‑term versus long‑term outcomes: While the premium may improve immediate exam performance, it does not necessarily change broader structural inequalities such as segregation or teacher expectations.
Overall, the Pupil Premium has produced limited progress in narrowing ethnic attainment gaps. Its effectiveness depends heavily on strategic, culturally aware use of funds, and it must be complemented by broader policies tackling structural racism and segregation to achieve substantial, lasting change.