Long-term outcomes of high-achieving disadvantaged children

The aims of the research 

This project examined what happens to high-achieving children from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds in England as they move from childhood into early adulthood. The aim was to understand whether children who show strong early academic potential maintain this advantage over time, how their trajectories compare with equally able children from more affluent backgrounds and when gaps begin to emerge. The research spanned education, attitudes to school, behaviour, health, university participation and early labour-market outcomes.

Methodological approach 

The research brought together evidence from several longitudinal survey and administrative datasets, including the Millennium Cohort Study, National Pupil Database, linked health and justice records, higher education data and Longitudinal Education Outcomes. High achievement was usually defined as achieving a score in the top 25% of the Key Stage 2 tests, while disadvantage was typically measured using Free School Meal eligibility and an area-based measure of deprivation. Analyses compared disadvantaged high achievers with similarly high-achieving, more advantaged peers, taking account of statistical issues such as Kelley’s paradox.  

Key findings 

The research team will use four large administraBetween ages 11 and 14 gaps between previously high-achieving children from socio-economically advantaged and disadvantaged backgrounds widen across several domains. This includes attainment, attitudes to school, attendance, exclusions, behaviour and emotional wellbeing. These differences then feed through into GCSE and A-level outcomes, entry to high-status universities and degree outcomes. The former Gifted and Talented programme was associated with some educational benefits, but identification disproportionately favoured more affluent pupils and many of its advantages were concentrated among them.  

Implications 

The clearest message is that ages 11 to 14 are a particularly important period for intervention. Schools need better systems for identifying and tracking high-achieving disadvantaged pupils, particularly across the transition into secondary school. It is thus important that educators respond quickly to emerging problems with school engagement, attendance or achievement amongst high-achieving disadvantaged pupils, particularly during Key Stage 3. Support also needs to recognise differences by gender and ethnicity, extending beyond academic provision into pastoral, mental-health, university and careers support. Future research should test scalable interventions, particularly during Key Stage 3, to establish what genuinely improves longer-term outcomes for this group.