SECONDARY pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds in Swindon are falling almost two years behind their peers, a major new report has revealed.

A study by the widely respected Education Policy Institute (EPI) shows that the gap in education attainment in Swindon’s secondary schools stands at 22.2 months.

The equivalent gap in primary schools is 8.6 months and in early years settings it is 3.9 months.

Across the region, the figures are broadly similar, with the South West average sitting at 22 months for secondary pupils, 9.3 for primary and 4.5 for early years.

Research has shown that closing the attainment gap for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds is important if there is to be a knock-on impact on later life outcomes.

Youngsters from disadvantaged backgrounds are still less likely to continue into post-compulsory education; they have lower average earnings, poorer health and greater propensity to become involved with crime than their more affluent peers.

From a societal perspective, allowing a significant number of children to fail to reach their educational and economic potential has been shown to result in lower economic growth and increased costs to the taxpayer.

It is an issue that has been acknowledged by the government, local authorities and the new regional schools commissioners who are responsible for academies.

Over the last 10 years there has been progress in narrowing the disadvantage gap, but the EPI’s report backs up concerns that any movement has been too slow.

In Swindon for example, gap has narrowed by less than a month in secondary schools and early years while in primary, where the best results have been seen, the gap has only narrowed by 1.2 months.

At the current rate of progress it would take 50 years to reach a position where disadvantaged pupils did not fall behind their peers during formal education to age 16.

A spokesman for Swindon Borough Council said: “Closing the attainment gap between children from disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers continues to be a key priority for both Swindon Borough Council and Swindon schools.

“We are pleased that our attainment gaps are narrower than the national and regional attainment gaps at the end of both the early years and primary phases, and we are working to ensure that the pace of positive improvement accelerates and attainment gaps close still further.

“The Swindon Challenge Board, which focuses on raising educational achievement, has a clear priority to ensure that disadvantaged pupils receive high quality support, make at least good progress from their starting points and significantly narrow the attainment gap with their peers. This is being achieved through a range of strategies including strong partnership working between the council, schools, the Swindon teaching schools and national education influencers.

“The council and Swindon teaching schools are working in collaboration with others in the region to bring additional funding into Swindon to support this priority. This includes a focus on developing whole school strategies to improve the outcomes for the most disadvantaged pupils, those with additional needs and English as an additional language. The aim is for these projects to complement the work of the Swindon Challenge Board.”

South Swindon MP, Robert Buckland, said he took the report seriously.

"The report makes for concerning reading," he added. "I am glad to see that the gap is narrowing on all fronts, but the pace of change has to quicken.

"Responsibility for educational attainment doesn't purely lie with our schools of course, but I shall be meeting Bradley Simmonds from Ofsted in a few weeks and will raise this issue with him."