Study shows that schools in the north of England are below average.
Improving school standards whilst
giving businesses a greater say in
education policy is vital to bridge the
gap between the North and South if
the Northern Powerhouse is to be a
success. Our recommendation follows
a new study published by the Institute
of Public Policy Research (IPPR), which
reveals that exam results in schools in
the North of England lag behind those
in the rest of the UK.
The study echoes an earlier Ofsted
warning that without better education, the
Government’s Northern Powerhouse plan
to create an economic hub in the North will
“splutter and die”.
The IPPR report said the percentages of pupils
achieving the benchmark five GCSEs at grades
A*-C were 55% in the North compared to
57.3% in England as a whole. In London the
level was 60.9%.
The report says that annual funding per
secondary school pupil is roughly £5,700,
compared to £7,000 per pupil in London,
and backs the Government’s plan to improve
Northern schools through a new national
funding formula.
Expert Opinion
“The Northern Powerhouse and other economic
wealth spreading initiatives should be about
more than just devolution and investing in
new and improved infrastructure. It’s about
the future of cities and in order to make a
difference, it must start with young people.
“Last year our UK Powerhouse report made
a number of policies in relation to education
as part of our call for a radical rethink by the
Government into how it rebalances the UK
economy. Education is vital and not only do
we need to improve attainment in secondary
schools, businesses also need greater
involvement in policy.
“According to our report, over a third of
businesses stated that changes to the current
education policy would boost economic
growth in the region that they are based in.
The study also recommended that businesses
should be able to inform education providers
about the lack of skills that they face and that
provision should at least be partially adjusted
to help address these shortages.”
Niall Baker,
CEO & Partner
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