16 January 2009
By Julie Read
Being born poor and disadvantaged is still the major block to success in later life, according to the Social Mobility Commission set up by Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg.
The independent group of experts, chaired by Barnardo's chief executive Martin Narey, highlighted the failure of education to help people from low-income families to climb the social ladder. Only 35.5% of pupils eligible for free school meals obtained five higher-grade GCSEs, compared with 62.9% of those not eligible, a commission report claimed.
Narey said: 'Despite progress in reducing child poverty and heavy investment in education, a child's chances of success in Britain today are still largely dependent on the background and earnings of its parents.'
The report proposed greater funding for schools with the most disadvantaged pupils and a radical shake-up of the tax credit system.
Clegg said: 'It is an outrage and a tragedy that two children born at the same time in the same hospital should have wildly different life chances based simply on the income of their parents.'
PFjan2009
