The north-south divide in schools is real – and it’s more complex than you think

Inequality in education between the north and the south of England remains acute

Children in the north of England have less chance of educational success than children in the south of England (iStock)

Children in schools in the north of England start off on the back foot – students in London and the southeast are more likely to go on to a top university. Pupils from a disadvantaged background in the south are also more likely to get five A* to C GCSEs than pupils in the north.

This divide in education has been highlighted time and time again – the think tank Northern Powerhouse Partnership has recently suggested that improving schools in the north of England should be “at the top of the in-tray” for education secretary Damian Hinds.

Recently, George Osborne, the former chancellor, called on the government to close the gap between schools in the north and the south of England. Or, to be more specific, between London and the north. His concerns seem to be based upon the most recent of many reports outlining the attainment divide between regions. Growing Up North, published by the Children’s Commissioner, highlights the complex relationships between life chances and education, wealth, health, labour markets and family aspirations.

Osborne has urged ministers to set targets for the same number of children to attend “good” or “outstanding” schools in the north as in London. He has also suggested that ministers impose or clone the “London Challenge model” on the north – focusing on primary and secondary schools.

London Challenge was devised by the Labour government in 2002. It involved a number of strategies running in parallel, including schools working in partnership with local authorities and a number of advisers appointed to support schools.

The model led to impressive improvement in results – particularly in areas of high deprivation. Successive Ofsted reports have in recent years demonstrated how, despite high levels of disadvantage in London, pupils outperform their counterparts in both the wealthier southeast and in the north at Key Stage 4, on the key measure of A* to C grades at GCSE.

This might all sound well and good, but you can’t press button A and expect result B. Communities in the north are diverse. You cannot compare schools in the city of Sunderland with those in the seaside town of Scarborough; nor can you compare Durham with Doncaster, or Leeds with Liverpool.

So, while knowing what has worked elsewhere could be helpful, those in power must understand that the north is not a homogeneous mass of people – despite what the stereotypes of Emmerdale and Coronation Street lead people to believe.

The north is massive and varied – and in its cities there are diverse communities with families that have differing needs and aspirations. Up north, councils have also lost more funding than some southern local authorities. A study by Newcastle city council shows how, between 2015 and 2016, councils in the northeast of England had funding cut by 7.8 per cent, compared with cuts of 3.4 per cent in the wealthier southeast.

Like all areas of the UK, the north has its own unique set of issues. Many of the support services that help families have vanished, and infrastructure to support children and young people has diminished – leading to a huge service vacuum.

To add to this, there is the unrelenting pressure of school finances – which I see when taking part in the Leeds School Forum – as costs rise and budgets remain mostly static. Some schools even rely on donations and money from parents to help with cashflow. So while all children have a right to go to an excellent school – and all parents should be able to select one for their children, the reality is far from that.

There must be serious investment in the future of schoolchildren across England – but in particular in the north – if this basic inequality in terms of education is to be addressed. Children in the north have the right to high quality schooling – just as do those children born in other areas of the country.

Doug Martin is course director in the Carnegie School of Education at Leeds Beckett University. This piece originally appeared on The Conversation.