13th Report - Improving educational outcomes for disadvantaged children

Select Committee
Public Accounts Committee HC 365 7 March 2025
Report Status Government responded
Conclusions & Recommendations 29 items (8 recs)
Source View on Parliament website
Government Response (AI assessment · 29 of 29 classified)
Accepted 20
Acknowledged 2
Deferred 4
Rejected 3
Government response
Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Thirteenth report from Session 2024-25 · published 16 May 2025
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Recommendations & Conclusions

3 results
7 Conclusion Rejected
England demonstrates strong relative performance in disadvantaged children's educational attainment internationally.
Conclusion
The Department told us that, compared to other countries, England performs relatively well in terms of disadvantaged children’s attainment.13 The OECD recently cited the UK as one of 10 highly equitable countries, meaning that the difference in maths, science and … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government disagrees with the Committee's conclusion, stating that the Department for Education strongly agrees too many children are held back by their background, and reiterates its commitment to the Opportunity Mission.
HM Treasury
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8 Conclusion Rejected
Disadvantage gap index marginally narrowing, but not fast enough and lacks granular detail
Conclusion
The Department compares the attainment of disadvantaged pupils against their peers nationally through the disadvantage gap index, its main measure of progress.17 The Department explained that its most recent data shows this gap narrowed marginally in the last two years … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government disagrees with the Committee's conclusion, stating that the Department for Education strongly agrees too many children are held back by their background, and reiterates its commitment to the Opportunity Mission.
HM Treasury
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9 Conclusion Rejected
Imperfect free school meals measure limits data and analysis on wider pupil outcomes
Conclusion
Registration for free school meals is not automatic and some low– income pupils will be missed due to eligibility criteria. This means it is imperfect as a measure of disadvantage. The Department stressed the importance of using wider measures beyond … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government disagrees with the Committee's conclusion, stating that the Department for Education strongly agrees too many children are held back by their background, and reiterates its commitment to the Opportunity Mission.
HM Treasury
View Details