This year, A-level results in England reached a record high outside the pandemic era, However, the stark regional divide between London and the rest of the UK, particularly the north-east and East Midlands, has widened. But why are London schools outperforming all other regions?
Here are some reasons:
1. The London Challenge
In 2003, the Blair government launched an initiative to transform schools in the capital. At the time, London schools were perceived to be some of the worst in the country. At its peak, the London Challenge had a budget of £40m a year, working with local authorities, investing in school leadership, building new secondary schools and sixth forms, as well as radically expanding the academisation of new and existing schools. There was also an incentive to build extended schools that offered services to students and their families outside the classroom. As a result, 30% of London schools were graded as outstanding in 2010 by Ofsted, compared with 17.5% nationally. Although the Schools Challenge was later stretched to Greater Manchester and the Black Country, London is considered to be the success story.
2. Teachers
Due to higher pay and cultural attractiveness, teachers are more inclined to train and work in the capital, therefore a higher level of teaching is arguably available to London students. The Teach First programme was a targeted intervention that started in 2002 with the aim of recruiting university graduates to train as teachers in challenging schools. The first cohort of trainees were placed exclusively in London secondary schools between 2003 and 2006. Although trainees are distributed across regions, London has the highest concentration, with more than a quarter of Teach First schools being in the capital in 2019.
3. Gentrification
The changing class demographics in London have had a noticeable effect on the quality of schools in the city. In the past few decades, young families have chosen to remain in there rather than moving to suburban areas, as once was the norm. As a result, formerly impoverished boroughs such as Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Brixton have become more middle class and, over time, schools in the capital have received an increased number of pupils from families with higher levels of education, improving the schools’ results.
4. Immigration
London remains the most ethnically diverse region in the country. Research shows that parents from migrant families often have higher ambitions of social mobility through educational means, known academically as the “London effect”. In 2017, the former education secretary Michael Gove said “there’s lots of evidence that London having become more diverse has contributed to educational standards rising”. However, research from King’s College London shows that, if only white London pupils are considered, London still outperforms all other regions in the UK.
5. Range of schools
London contains a higher concentration of schools within one region. This gives families more choice to send their children to schools and sixth forms that align with their interests and academic progression. Additionally, students are able to commute across the capital, granting the opportunity to attend specialist schools that may have otherwise been out of reach.
